Effective in-kind donations: PV system on the new building will soon be generating electricity

Staff and members of the ISC Konstanz are installing the modules on the new building.

We urgently need innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis and the energy transition. The fact that German funding for solar research is currently being severely cut is a major challenge on this important path. That is why it is time for us to stand together: our partner companies, employees and members are helping to ensure that our research center can be renewed – and that we can conduct research with solar power. Thank you very much!
We are very happy about the particularly effective donations in kind from our partners: AIKO has donated and directly delivered the best available solar modules. RCT Power is providing us with a large storage/inverter unit and Hopewind inverters, which they have already installed together with energy depot. The colleagues and members of ISC Konstanz are also getting straight down to business: we will install the modules ourselves as far as possible.

The solar energy system will save us €60,000 in electricity costs per year

The effect: Thanks to the solar panels on the roof of our new hall, we will soon be able to significantly reduce our energy costs – freeing up around 60,000 euros a year for our new building project. A quarter of the modules are already mounted on the roof and connected to the electricity grid. We are not yet allowed to feed it into the grid, but as soon as we have permission to connect, we will consume all the electricity ourselves. The remaining modules will be installed in September.

The annual energy consumption of the ISC (top) is reduced by 30% – 40% with PV and storage. The peak load is reduced by more than half. This is good for the environment, for the grids and saves us a lot of money!

Advisory board meeting of the ISC Konstanz on the flower island of Mainau

Our closest partners are our sustaining members who form the advisory board. Once a year, we discuss the progress and goals of ISC Konstanz. This year’s advisory board meeting took place on the island of Mainau. The board and management of ISC reported on current projects and plans and provided a detailed insight into the financial situation of ISC. We are very grateful that, despite a very difficult political environment, we can look forward to a positive financial year in 2024 – even though we are building and renovating.

With our advisory board on the ship “MS Mainau”: an electric ship with ZEBRA modules developed and manufactured at the ISC

The discussion with the advisory board members has, among other things, encouraged us to increase our commitment to the areas of system technologies, storage (batteries), hydrogen, smart grids and overall systems. These areas are crucial to the success of the energy transition and also contribute to the economic independence of our institute. The ISC Konstanz can build on a great deal of expertise and ongoing projects in these areas. The advisory board also strongly welcomed the commitment to training and education.
Would you like to help shape the ISC Konstanz advisory board with your company? Please contact us: Radovan Kopecek, radovan.kopecek@isc-konstanz.de .

Become a progress maker today

Whether it’s with effective donations in kind, with know-how and personal commitment or with monetary donations: our new building for a sunny future is only possible if we can count on a strong community of supporters. Here you can find information about the various ways of supporting us!
We look forward to discussing with you how you can become part of the project – and thus make an important contribution to advancing the energy transition. From a donation for ten symbolic square meters of land, to a donor loan for the PV system or a supporting membership, to financing a process laboratory – every form of support makes a difference. Would you like to discuss this with us at the EUPVSEC in Vienna? We will be on site from September 23 at booth B2 – your contact person is looking forward to meeting you!
Rudolf Harney, rudolf.harney@isc-konstanz.de