European Institute for Energy Research (EIfER)

URL http://www.eifer.org


The European Institute for Energy Research has been created from the will of Electricité de France and Universität Karlsruhe to cluster their competences in order to solve major energy and sustainability issues of the 21st century.

EIfER is currently composed of about 40 scientists from eight countries. It is structured in three groups, two competences centers, a Fuel Cell Laboratory and relies on a large partnership.

groups:

• Models for Environment

• Economics of environment
• Material and energy flux analysis
• Social sciences· Renewable energies
• Geographic Information SystemInnovative Processes
• Fuel cell technologies and roadmap
• Hydrogen and other fuels for fuel cells
• Renewable energy technologies
• Small fuel-burning polygeneration
• systems
• Methods for innovation


• Distributed Resources
• Economical and technical analysis
• Laboratory testings
• On-site demonstrations

competences centers:

• Competence Center on Economics of the Environment
  This Competence Center is set up in collaboration with the French- German Institute for Environmental Research (DFIU/IFARE). It is aimed at providing economic models and tools to support the sustainable development of countries, regions, cities or companies. Special efforts are made to include emission certificate trading and green accounting.

• Competence Center on Methods for Innovation
  The Competence Center on Methods for Innovation has for mission to identify and experiment methods to stimulate innovation. To reinforce its activity, it invited several Russian experts in the TRIZ method (Teorija Rezhenija Izobretatelskikh Zadach: Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) to work at EIfER or INSA premises.
  

• Fuel Cell Laboratory
  EIfER and IWE (Institut für Werkstoffe der Elektrotechnik, Universität Karlsruhe (TH)) established a close cooperation in the field of decentralized power supply: the two institutes installed a common laboratory to test fuel cells. At the same time, they carry out basic research for further development.