Welcome to the Institute for Water and Energy Management at Hof University of Applied Sciences

Project, Bachelor or Master theses

Currently the following topics are available as project, bachelor or master thesis:

"Creation of a building simulation model based on a BIM model" (start: summer term 2023)
"Commissioning and calibration of a remote control system of a pilot plant with subsequent automated test execution"
"Investigation of the potential of a flooded propane evaporator based on manufacturer's data"
"Preliminary investigation for the development of a mini Pelton turbine"
"Determination of the energy saving potential and constructive implementation of a waste water heat exchanger in single and multi-family houses"
"Literature review on thermal utilization of wastewater and wastewater substreams. Development of an evaluation matrix for the state of the art and recommendations for further developments of the technologies"
"Energetic comparison of AOP processes based on literature values from research. Development of scale-up models with technical and economic target parameters to consider the future economic viability of the different processes"
"Experimental determination of the band gap shift on titanium dioxide catalysts by the use of dyes in wastewater treatment. Initial experiments for the development of "artificial photosynthesis" as an energy-neutral system for micropollutant removal"
"Activity determination of different photocatalyst coatings by means of adapted measurement regimes under modeling of the LED UV arrays to be used. Development of small scale coating technologies"

If you are interested in one of our advertised topics, please contact Ms. Miriam Scholz (miriam.scholz@hof-university.de). You are also welcome to send us an unsolicited application.

Research areas

The institute

As an institute with a broad portfolio of expertise, we deal with current issues relating to water and energy management in a changing society and the current advance of digitalization.

Foundation

In 2015, the Institute for Water and Energy Management was founded as an In-Institute. As an institution of the Faculty of Engineering, it combines research and teaching from the beginning in order to further sharpen the university profile in the field of Green Tech. A year earlier, the Bavarian state government had already pledged 17 million euros for the establishment of a new institute by Dr. Ludwig Spaenle, then State Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs, Science and the Arts. Hof, which was named Bavaria's center of competence for water by Markus Söder in 2010, will thus be further upgraded.

Development

From the start, five research group leaders have been working scientifically at the institute. The number of scientific staff has grown steadily, so that there are now around 40 people working in eleven research groups. The iwe focuses on initiating and implementing application-oriented research and development projects in the core areas of water and energy and links these with the cross-sectional area of digitalization. The first major project to be launched in 2017 was the Green Technology Workshop Hof, which received around 1.5 million euros in funding. The aim was to develop new products, processes and services that are characterized by particularly high innovative content and can be used directly in cooperating facilities.

Prospects

In the future, the focus on "water and energy" at Hof University of Applied Sciences is to be further deepened in a research-oriented manner and in cooperation with companies (regional and national). Nothing stands in the way of the construction of the institute's own research building since the approval of the state parliament. In summer 2020, the foundation stone for the ZWE (Center for Water and Energy) was laid. The innovative and energy-autonomous building is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2023, which is why funds must now be acquired for the initial equipment. The building will not only provide space for research and teaching, but will itself be a research object within the framework of future-oriented building technology.