Fraunhofer Aboard the MS Wissenschaft

From May 14 to September 16, the floating science center MS Wissenschaft will be touring 29 German cities. On board this time will be five Fraunhofer exhibits on the subject of energy for our future.

Hydrogen has great potential to combine climate protection, the energy transition and economic growth. Its combustion produces only water — making it climate-friendly and sustainable. The game “H₂ – The Journey” brings the potential of this versatile element to life for children aged 12 and up. In an entertaining way, it traces the path of a hydrogen molecule from its generation to its use. Players can create their own H₂ molecule and follow it on its journey by solving nine exciting, interactive tasks. They learn how the gas is produced, how it can be stored and transported safely and how it is converted into electricity in a fuel cell. The game also covers the technologies and infrastructure required for a hydrogen economy and the new professional fields this will bring.

Volcanoes and geysers make its energy visible: Geothermal heat is a reliable source for sustainable heating. Geothermal systems make it economically viable for energy-intensive industries to use geothermal energy for heating and process heat. The world is full of good examples of how this can be achieved. In Germany, numerous municipal utilities are also examining the possibility of supplementing local heating networks with geothermal sources and storage facilities. The heat globe shows ten global geothermal hotspots and allows visitors to explore them in more detail. The exhibit brings the abstract concept of geothermal energy to the minds of visitors − and to their fingertips: With the touch of a button, they can activate an electrical resistance to feel and experience the energy for themselves. This shows that we live on a planet full of heat that we can use sustainably.

On windy and sunny days, wind turbines and solar panels generate more electricity than is needed. The surplus energy can be stored in spherical storage tanks at the bottom of the sea. The StEnSEA underwater energy storage system applies the principle of pumped hydro energy storage systems to the bottom of the sea: a pump turbine located in a hollow concrete sphere pumps out the water. When water is allowed to flow back in under high pressure, electricity is generated again. The storage capacity depends on the size of the spherical storage tank and the depth of the seabed on which the tank is located.

The conditions at sea are ideal for generating renewable electricity, which can be used to produce green hydrogen at a lower cost. In the H₂Mare project, researchers are combining wind turbines and electrolyzers in a new system. This removes the need to connect to the power grid, saving time and money. The waste heat from electrolysis is used to desalinate seawater. In the Offshore game, players can set up an offshore wind farm in a virtual marine environment and use it to generate and trade power-to-X products. The goal is to encourage teenagers and young adults to explore the potential of hydrogen as a technology of the future. Facts and figures, research data and technologies from H2Mare as well as data on realistic weather influences and environmental events have been incorporated to create an authentic gaming experience.

Available anywhere and anytime − modern life offers a lot of flexibility, but it also leads to increased energy consumption. Why? Because communication with smartphones and other mobile devices uses much more energy than cable-based data transmission. One reason for this is our radio technology, which still has room for improvement. It is always operating in the background, and mainframes that power these require energy-intensive cooling. We therefore urgently need to improve the energy efficiency of our mobile communications to make our digital society more sustainable. This exhibit shows children and young people how smartphone use and the energy required for mobile communications are interlinked. Players can take a quiz to estimate the energy required for internet applications and compare this to everyday activities. They can also select and explore various aspects of energy consumption on an interactive world map. This shows, for example, where the resources for digital technologies come from and what different types of energy are consumed by apps, depending on where their server is located.