“Energy Charts” Data Platform Celebrates its 10th Year as Fact Provider for the Energy Transition

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Can Germany meet its electrical energy demand with renewables? How a lot electrical energy is imported from nuclear and coal-fired energy crops? Will a photo voltaic eclipse result in a blackout? Ten years in the past, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photo voltaic Power Techniques ISE launched the “Energy Charts” knowledge platform to objectify the talk on the power transition. Right this moment, the web site provides detailed interactive knowledge not solely on electrical energy technology, local weather knowledge, emissions and trade costs for Germany but in addition on the electrical energy technology for 42 European nations and the European electrical energy trade. This makes it probably the most complete knowledge platforms on the European power market at this time.

It began with a press launch: In 2011, the media warned of a blackout on the vacation Whit Monday as a result of grid feed-in from photo voltaic was excessive and the load low. Prof. Bruno Burger from Fraunhofer ISE was so irritated by this that he started to compile knowledge on energy technology in a set of slides. “I wanted to make the debate about the energy transition more objective by providing the public with easy-to-understand data.”

From slide set to app

Because of the excessive demand for the info, the set of slides rapidly grew to 280 pages. This gave rise to the concept of a web site on which power knowledge could be flexibly uploaded and visualized in interactive graphics, permitting the guests to show the info as wanted. Beginning with knowledge on energy, power and electrical energy trade costs, the web site was regularly expanded to incorporate knowledge on photo voltaic and wind energy manufacturing, power imports and exports, local weather knowledge, energy plant emissions and an interactive map displaying the put in energy crops.

Right this moment, the Power Charts group attracts on 16 totally different knowledge sources. The information is first cleaned after which ready to be used within the interactive graphics. To repeatedly enhance the platform, the group recurrently performed consumer surveys and supplied workshops in regards to the website. New designs and knowledge classes had been launched in two initiatives, funded by the German Federal Environmental Basis DBU.

The Power Charts web site now offers knowledge in 4 languages (German, English, French and Italian) and for 42 European nations. The time decision has additionally elevated from weekly to every day to quarter-hourly time steps. Forecast values are additionally out there for knowledge corresponding to anticipated electrical energy technology and electrical energy trade costs.

Since December 2023, the web site is supplemented by an app, known as “PowerSignal,” which reveals the present share of renewables within the web public electrical energy technology for twelve European nations and the day-ahead electrical energy value for 34 nations. Homeowners of electrical automobiles, warmth pumps or sensible houses can use the app to handle their electrical energy consumption in an effort to use the greenest doable electrical energy combine. Main European family equipment producer BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, which owns manufacturers corresponding to Bosch, Siemens, Gaggenau and Neff, is already utilizing the info from the PowerSignal app. The Fraunhofer group makes the info out there to all events on the web site and through an open interface (API).

Nice response from the media and the general public

Right this moment, the Power Charts platform is likely one of the most regularly used web sites for power knowledge in Germany. Representatives from science, the media, politics and the power trade, however for essentially the most half, individuals within the power transition entry the info. The web site has round 100 million hits per 12 months and round 250 million graphics are delivered. Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., the web site is accessed 200,000 to 250,000 occasions per hour.

Prof. Burger’s efforts to advertise the academic consciousness of the power transition usually are not restricted to the Power Charts web site. Annually he offers over 100 interviews, lectures and seminars informing individuals with the most recent info in regards to the power transition. Round 400 media stories per 12 months cite knowledge from both the Power Charts or from Prof. Burger instantly. Greater than 7500 tweets with present power graphs have been posted on the platform X, the place the Power Charts platform has been out there since 2016. Right this moment it has over 25,000 followers.

To handle the rising demand for a discussion board for trade on the power figures, the Power Charts Talks had been initiated in June 2021. The discussion board is open to all and takes place on-line firstly of every month. The present electrical energy technology figures in addition to the brand new features and knowledge are introduced and mentioned. Every month round 100 to 150 contributors attend.

Courtesy of Fraunhofer ISE.