News
IKZ, BAM, UDE and BESTEC successfully completed KostSol project
The aim of the joint project was to reduce costs in the production of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells through laser-induced structure formation on surfaces:
The joint project "Cost-Efficient Fabrication of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells through Laser-Induced Surface Structuring" (KostSol), funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), in…
Green hydrogen: “Artificial leaf” becomes better under pressure
Pressures between 6 to 8 bar can increase the efficiency of hydrogen production with sunlight in photoelectrochemical cells:
Hydrogen can be produced via the electrolytic splitting of water. One option here is the use of photoelectrodes that convert sunlight into voltage for electrolysis in so called photoelectrochemical cells (PEC cells).…
Green hydrogen from direct seawater electrolysis
International experts compare different approaches and warn against hype:
At first glance, the plan sounds compelling: invent and develop future electrolysers capable of producing hydrogen directly from unpurified seawater. But a closer look reveals that such direct seawater electrolysers…
BESSY II shows how solid-state batteries degrade
A team of researchers from HZB and Justus Liebig University Giessen present a new method for surface characterization of battery materials:
Solid-state batteries have several advantages: they can store more energy and are safer than batteries with liquid electrolytes. However, they do not last as long and their capacity decreases with each charge cycle.…
From waste to value: The right electrolytes can enhance glycerol oxidation
HZB team investigates how waste materials can be used more efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly way:
When biomass is converted into biodiesel, huge amounts of glycerol are produced as a by-product. So far, however, this by-product has been little utilised, even though it could be processed into more valuable…
LUM science prize Young Scientist Award 2024
M. Sc. Amin Said Amin was honored at the 11th International Conference on Dispersion Analysis and Materials Testing:
From June 10th to 11th, 2024, LUM GmbH hosted the 11th International Conference on Dispersion Analysis and Materials Testing. 70 participants from 14 countries around the world took part. Three candidates from France,…
Good clean fun times two
DLR is working at two new institutes in Cottbus to help make industry and flying more sustainable :
Lowering CO₂ emissions is a pressing problem of our time. In Cottbus, people are working on solutions for it. Supported by funding for structural economic change, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) founded two…
Open letter to BNetzA: Making network data more usable
25 organisations around the Reiner Lemoine Institute call for more transparent data to increase efficiency in the energy transition and grid expansion:
In an open letter, the Reiner Lemoine Institute, together with an alliance of research, industry and associations, appeals to Germany’s Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) to make grid data even more…
Chilean President visits Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
Together with a delegation of 50 people, Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font visited the research facility in Adlershof on 11 June:
The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, visited HZB on 11 June with a delegation of 50 people. Among the highlights of the evening were the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chilean Corporation…
Charging requirements for electromobility in Germany reassessed up to 2030
Study on publicly accessible charging points and charging capacity sets guidelines for expansion:
The study ‘Charging infrastructure after 2025/2030: Scenarios for the market ramp-up’ by the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure (Leitstelle) has been published in an updated new edition. Its results are not…
The defiant
At the Adlershof-based Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), Christine Kühnel is working towards a future in which energy is 100 percent renewable:
The German government just recently cut funding for the Climate and Transformation Fund. This affects Reiner Lemoine Institut (RLI), among many others. “The consequences are dramatic,” says Christine Kühnel, who has…
RLI designs a digital twin for the local heating market in Berlin
On behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, scientists design a digital heat register:
Berlin is ready to tackle the challenges of climate change and take on a pioneering role in the use of renewable energies. A powerful team of energy market, heat market and digital experts will provide support. On…
Watching indium phosphide at work
Research team from HZB, TU Ilmenau and Paderborn University gained insights into the electron dynamics in the surface of the semiconductor:
Indium phosphide is a versatile semiconductor. The material can be used for solar cells, for hydrogen production and even for quantum computers – and with record-breaking efficiency. However, little research has been…
German-South African GreenQUEST initiative is developing a clean household fuel
CO₂-neutral liquid gas with a great economic, environmental and social impact for southern Africa:
Burning biomass for cooking causes harmful environmental and health issues. The German-South African GreenQUEST initiative is developing a clean household fuel. It aims to reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions and to…
A simpler way to inorganic perovskite solar cells
Annealing in ambient air does not have an adverse effect on the optoelectronic properties of the semiconductor film, but actually results in fewer defects:
Inorganic perovskite solar cells made of CsPbI3 are stable over the long term and achieve good efficiencies. A team led by Prof. Antonio Abate has now analysed surfaces and interfaces of CsPbI3 films, produced under…
Oxidation processes of phosphoric acid revealed by tender X-rays
Results of research at HZB help to increase the lifetime and efficiency of fuel cells:
The interactions between phosphoric acid and the platinum catalyst in high-temperature PEM fuel cells are more complex than previously assumed. Experiments at BESSY II with tender X-rays have decoded the multiple…
Berlin Adlershof: High technology, skilled employees and openness as key success factors
Germany's largest science and technology park remains an important pillar of Berlin's economy :
The Berlin Adlershof Science and Technology Park continued its positive development in 2023. Revenues and budget funds grew by a solid 7.1% to € 3.9 billion (2022: € 3.6 billion). The number of employees remained…
Kathrin Goldammer elected board member of Women in Green Hydrogen
RLI Managing Director supports the association in political matters:
RLI Managing Director Kathrin Goldammer has been a board member of Women in Green Hydrogen (WiGH) since February 16th 2024. At an annual meeting in Berlin, the association members elected their first board of…
ERC Consolidator Grant for HZB researcher Robert Seidel
The project is investigating nanoparticles that are used as catalysts in the production of "green" hydrogen:
Physicist Dr Robert Seidel has been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). Over the next five years, he will receive a total of two million euros for his research project WATER-X. Seidel…
Funding of basic research for green energy of the future
Establishing a research group between Seoul and Berlin:
Professor Wonwoo Nam is an Einstein Visiting Fellow of the Einstein Foundation Berlin and has received the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, which is linked to a research stay at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin…