Various research approaches are being pursued to raise the utilisation ratio of renewables and fossil energy sources. For example, the intelligent coupling of energy availability and usage through power and heat storage systems, mobile energy storage systems, heat transfer systems or synthetic fuels, dovetailing the various demand situations, such as cogeneration of heat and power plus work on thermo-chemical processes for processing non-conventional energy sources such as biomass to form higher-value fuels.

The power stations and plants of the future must convert these various and different primary energy carriers as efficiently, as environmentally friendly and as reliably as possible into useful energy. This calls for innovative boosts for components such as turbo machines and materials that are capable of resisting higher temperatures.

CO₂ separation from power stations calls for research on gas separation methods and the development of new concepts, since CO₂ separation must not be bought at the expense of a higher use of resources. In the medium term, solutions need to be developed that enable existing power stations to be retrofitted. The research goals in the field of fuel cells aim to increase the lifetime and performance, to reduce the costs and develop new processes and methods for analysing aging mechanisms and for quality assurance processes.

Research and development on superconducting components for power grids can contribute to reducing the losses suffered when transmitting electrical energy. To make full use of stochastic energy flows, such as wind and sun, innovative concepts are needed for storing energy.