The entrance to the Stadtwerke was closed on Friday, June 21, a large marquee was erected, fluttering tapes kept the parking area in front of it free and guided the guests to the location of the event: the Zittau power plant laboratory.
On the one hand, the researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering, Process Automation and Metrology (IPM), headed by Professor Alexander Kratzsch, presented the results achieved during the last funding period at the "Energy research on site" workshop today. On the other hand, all signals are set for the future, as the next funding and research phase could be initiated thanks to the full approval of the new ERDF funds by the Sächsische Aufbaubank SAB and other federally funded projects.
The Zittau Power Plant Laboratory (ZKWL) project has been in existence since 2011. Back then, it was founded with great courage by a strong alliance of the university, IPM, Stadtwerke Zittau, politicians and companies. The first few years saw the construction phase of the large-scale test stands, followed by the inauguration in 2015 and the subsequent project phase from 2016 to 2019. The construction of the Zittau Power Plant Laboratory is the largest research investment since the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was founded in 1992.
And now things are set to continue. There are major challenges facing our region. The accelerated structural change with the conversion of the electricity and heat supply needs to be shaped. And the research topics of the Zittau power plant laboratory naturally fit in like a glove. This was also confirmed during the workshop on Friday by Mayor Thomas Zenker and the Minister of State for Federal and European Affairs and Head of the Saxon State Chancellery Oliver Schenk. They took a look at the test facilities: a magnetic and trapping bearing test stand (MFLP), a modern thermal energy storage system (THERESA) and a thermochemical test field (TCV), were impressed by the commitment of the employees and are certain: "All of this is important and contributes to a modern energy supply. Finally, the guests stopped by the "Zittau 2025" Capital of Culture application stand to find out more about Zittau's application.
Mr. Schenk had to move on, but the workshop was not over yet. Researchers Torsten Klette, Thomas Gubsch and Roman Schneider as well as project manager Prof. Frank Worlitz presented the research results on the following topics in detail:
- Torsten Klette: Project results for the HOTHES project as part of the Zittau power plant laboratory
- Thomas Gubsch: Regenerative district heating - heat transition 4.0
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Worlitz: Energy-efficient magnetic bearings for applications under extreme environmental conditions
- Roman Schneider: Experimental co-utilization of residual materials in the thermochemical test field
Following the exciting presentations, interested visitors to the ZKWL were able to obtain detailed information about the results obtained and current research projects at the individual info points or in the Science Corner. In addition to the numerous technical discussions, new ideas for future projects were also discussed.
Text: Martin Kunack/Saxony5
