Li's work uses data and AI to understand how batteries age and perform - from diagnosing the state of a single cell to optimizing the operation of large-scale energy storage systems. The new group also deepens the center's ties to CARL (Center for Ageing, Reliability and Lifetime Prediction of Electrochemical and Power Electronic Systems) at RWTH Aachen, one of Europe's best-equipped facilities for studying battery and power-electronics systems.

»The key is reading a battery's condition and performance precisely, then putting that data to work with AI so systems run safely, efficiently, and predictively. At the Fraunhofer Center for Digital Energy, we want to scale that approach all the way from a single battery to the energy system.«

Prof. Weihan Li, ISEA / CARL, RWTH Aachen University

From grid operations to flexibility at the asset level

The center's research to date, spanning »Data & AI«, »Automation & Control Technology«, »IT Security for Critical Infrastructures«, »Digital Infrastructures & Platform Technologies«, and »Digital Business Models & Market Integration«, has focused primarily on operators of critical electricity and gas infrastructure and on the regulatory authorities overseeing them.

In the next phase of the energy transition, however, system-wide interoperability between stakeholders becomes as important as the digitalization of these central actors. The center is therefore extending its scope from grid operation to the asset level, addressing asset operators and aggregators of both stationary storage systems and electromobility. These segments are expected to provide a substantial share of the flexibility required in future energy systems.

With Prof. Li's appointment, the center now combines digitalization and security expertise across the grid, asset, and market levels at a single site. This allows the digitalization challenges of the energy transition to be addressed in a systemic context rather than in isolation.

For an overview of the research fields and the contact persons involved, see Research and Our Team.

Our expertise for industry and public authorities

The Fraunhofer Center for Digital Energy partners with companies, grid and asset operators, and public authorities in three areas:

• Research and development: from early-stage applied research to bilateral innovation projects
• Training and continuing education: qualification programs for specialists and executives in digitalization, AI, and OT security
• Testing and validation: investigation of systems, components, and processes in the center's own energy and digital laboratories

With the new group, this portfolio is extended to include battery and storage systems.