Welcome to the Energy Lab
The energy transition is accompanied by many questions: How can energy be generated in an environmentally friendly way and stored with low losses?
What happens when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? And what if more electricity is suddenly needed?
To answer these questions, the Energy Lab is researching the intelligent linking of various energy generation, storage and supply options.
Research for the energy transition
The aim is to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. However, wind or solar energy cannot be generated consistently everywhere. Energy is often needed away from where it is generated and peak loads are to be expected at certain times. This dilemma must therefore be solved, because affordable and environmentally friendly energy should no longer remain a utopian dream.
As Europe's largest research infrastructure for renewable energy, the Energy Lab is taking on this major task. Here, the intelligent networking of environmentally friendly energy generators and storage methods is being investigated. In addition, energy systems of the future are simulated and tested on the basis of real consumer data. A system network links electrical, thermal and chemical energy flows as well as new information and communication technologies. The aim of the research work is to improve the transportation, distribution, storage and use of electricity and thus create the basis for the energy transition.
The Energy Lab is a project of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centers German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ).
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) as well as the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) are funding the Energy Lab.
An article published on ScienceDirect explores intelligent energy management in microgrids and is based on a collaboration between the Institute of Electric Power Systems and High Voltage Technology (IEH) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Waterloo.
At the core of the research is an Energy Management System (EMS) that intelligently controls electrical and thermal energy flows within a thermoelectric microgrid. The system combines Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) with rule-based control and was successfully applied to the real-world microgrid at KIT’s Energy Smart Home Lab (ESHL).
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In the latest issue of lookKIT, the Energy Lab is highlighted as a key infrastructure for the energy transition. As one of Europe’s largest smart energy research platforms, it enables system-level experimentation with sector coupling, load flexibility, energy storage, and smart grid operation – under real-time conditions and with real consumer data. The lab provides critical insights into the orchestration of distributed energy systems and the integration of renewables into a resilient, secure infrastructure.
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From September 14–19, 2025, the Pyroliq III conference will bring together leading experts in the thermochemical conversion of biomass and waste in Cetraro, Italy. The focus will be on pyrolysis and liquefaction technologies for sustainable products such as bio-oil and biochar. Axel Funke and Nicolaus Dahmen from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are actively involved in the conference—Funke as co-chair and Dahmen as a member of the scientific committee—helping to shape the technical and scientific agenda.
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