Shutterstock/Artem Grebenyuk

Ukraine must secure its energy supply under extreme conditions while at the same time planning for the long term. The “Green Deal Ukraïna” project supports this process through scientific expertise, lead by Susanne Nies at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. 

Helmholtz Energy/Setzpfandt

The Helmholtz Energy Parliamentary Evening in Berlin highlighted the importance of strong collaboration between research, industry, and policymakers in driving Germany’s energy transition. Researchers from the ESD program showcased contributions ranging from time‑variable grid fees to enhance grid resilience to cutting‑edge hydrogen rail systems tested in the KIT H₂ Rail Laboratory. Further insights were provided on building a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system, demonstrating how analytical energy system research supports industrial innovation. Across all discussions, participants emphasized that close cooperation between high‑quality research infrastructures and industrial partners is essential for accelerating technology transfer and strengthening energy sovereignty in Europe.

Research on future energy systems is complex — it requires multidisciplinary expertise, high‑quality data, models, algorithms, and robust software. Within ESD Topic 2, we developed and released a set of new open‑source, open-model and open-data solutions designed to make this work faster, easier, and more integrated. A milestone report highlights how the emerging Open‑X suite already supports innovative research approaches — and aims to inspire even broader adoption.

The IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics (OJPEL) is a 100% open-access journal that publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed articles on the development and application of power electronic systems and technologies.
Prof. De Carne has now been appointed as the new co-editor-in-chief alongside Prof. Wenkang Huang from Infineon Technologies (USA). We congratulate them and wish them every success in further improving the quality of this important publication.

Amadeus Bramsiepe, KIT

New 660 kWp rooftop PV system at Campus North powers energy research and computing infrastructure with clean electricity. The additional solar capacity directly supports key research platforms such as Energy Lab, enabling real‑world testing of future energy technologies.

We invite you to the OpenEMS Hackathon Q1/2026 at KIT Karlsruhe on March 17–18, 2026. Join us to explore topics such as OpenEMS for beginners, forecasting integration, MILP-based optimization, and the Energy Scheduler. Participants can also bring their own ideas (Topic X) to discuss and develop collaboratively. We look forward to two days of hands‑on development, exchange, and innovation.