Sustainability

To keep our energy losses as low as possible, we have had insulating windows installed at IPH. Since 2016, we have also been using an energy-saving heating system with smart controls. Our employees can adjust the heating in their office while on the move. The heating also regulates itself by automatically shutting down outside of working hours.

We rely on solar energy to generate electricity: we have been using a 39 kWp solar system on the roof of the institute since July 2019.

The IPH's front garden, which was redesigned in a natural way at the end of 2021, provides a habitat for insects and microorganisms. Low, evergreen shrubs grow here. In between, there are several islands made of sandstone blocks that have been planted with different plants. Although the diverse native plants flower rather inconspicuously, they provide a wide range of food for insects. Microorganisms find shelter between the stones and in deadwood logs.

A near-natural break area was also implemented in 2022, and IPH was supported in the near-natural design by the Außenstelle Natur of the Umweltzentrum Hannover e. V. (Hanover Environmental Center).

Two bee colonies have also been living on our premises since 2023. They are monitored smartly with sensors, camera technology and LoRaWAN. Thanks to a solar module, they are completely self-sufficient.

In 2023, we replaced the outdated outdoor lighting with modern LED lighting. As part of this, motion detectors, twilight sensors and digital timers were added for demand-oriented lighting. This not only saves energy, but also avoids unnecessary lighting and thus disturbing the insects. To protect the insects, the lighting is kept at a warm color temperature of 2700 Kelvin. This allows employees and guests to find their vehicles even in the dark without disturbing the local flora and fauna too much. We were supported in the modernization by the nature field office, including an independent consultancy report.

At IPH, we want to implement as many aspects of "green IT" as possible, i.e. make the use of our information and communication technology sustainable throughout its entire life cycle. For example, our monitors switch off when they are no longer in use and we reduce the number of unnecessary printouts by digitizing forms such as vacation and business trip applications. We have set ourselves the goal of working almost completely paperless.

Furthermore, we use our devices for longer than the actual life cycle envisages and pay attention to resource-conserving planning when purchasing our future IT requirements. When disposing of IT equipment, we also aim to save as much energy as possible and recycle devices or parts of devices.

Sustainability and efficiency are the goals of many of our research projects. We help companies to improve their environmental footprint and save energy costs by adapting their production control systems and storing electricity from renewable sources. We focus on energy and material efficiency in production technology and contribute, for example, to the development of energy-efficient melting furnaces and lightweight construction processes that reduce the fuel consumption of vehicles and the energy requirements of trains. Our decades of research into flash-free forging are helping to reduce material and energy consumption in forming technology. And we want to reduce plastic waste by recycling plastic and using it for additive manufacturing.

One of our core topics, which we have been researching for around ten years, is wind energy. We have developed lightweight construction concepts that can be used to build larger wind turbine towers and have worked on processes that reduce disruptions to offshore wind turbines. Many wind turbines in Germany are now obsolete, have to be dismantled and in some cases replaced by more efficient turbines. In the DemoNetXXL project, we researched how this unavoidable dismantling can be carried out in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. This project gave rise to the industrial association Repowering, Dismantling and Recycling of Wind Turbines (RDRWind e.V.). The association is based at the IPH.

Since September 2019, IPH has been participating in the ÖKOPROFIT programme - a Europe-wide recognized programme that helps companies of all sizes and types to reduce costs and protect the environment. ÖKOPROFIT Hannover is a joint project between the state capital and region of Hannover and local companies.

During the ÖKOPROFIT beginner program, which ran for 14 months, visits to workshops, the implementation of employee measures and structural changes were essential. Companies that work in a particularly green and sustainable manner and present this to the outside world can receive the so-called ÖKOPROFIT award. After passing the commission's test, IPH received the ECOPROFIT award at the Hollerithallee 6, 30419 Hanover site in December 2020. The institute is also a member of the ÖKOPROFIT club in order to continue tapping potential and further improve the ecological situation at IPH.