News
“Support local people in protecting nature around the world”
A study by Humboldt University in Berlin shows that the UN’s nature conservation target could have a direct impact on the lives of almost half the world’s population:
To halt global species extinction, at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and marine areas are to be placed under protection by 2030 and 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems restored, as agreed at the 15th UN…
Agricultural production is the main cause of destructive fires in South America’s tropical dry forests
Research team has used satellite images to reconstruct the fire history of the Gran Chaco, one of the world’s largest dry forest regions:
Every year, vast areas of forest burn in the South American Chaco, a tropical dry forest region that stretches across Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay and forms the second-largest forest region on the continent after…
Federal Ministry funds new research group at HU on resilient urban landscapes
Dr Thilo Wellmann develops monitoring tools for green municipal infrastructure:
Three new research groups for young scientists are working at Humboldt University in Berlin (HU), including Dr Thilo Wellmann's group at the Institute of Geography in Adlershof, which is funded by the Federal Ministry…
A record year for the HZB living lab for building-integrated solar facades
The solar modules on the facade of the Adlershof research building produced almost 32 MWh of electricity in 2025:
In 2025, the solar facade of the BIPV living laboratory (BIPV – Building integrated photovoltaics) in Berlin-Adlershof generated more electricity than in any of the previous four years of operation. With about 32…
Passive air conditioning
Nanolope is developing a panel-shaped thermal energy storage system that can be mounted on walls or ceilings:
The specialised material used in the thermal energy storage system developed by Nanolope regulates temperature as it melts and solidifies, it is designed to noticeably reduce heating costs. The International Space…
Energy-efficient renovation of your own home
Research project shows need for information and helps with online guide:
It is difficult for homeowners to get an overview of the topic of energy-efficient building renovation. There is a lack of information, especially with regard to suitable heating technologies, subsidy conditions and…
How can a successful transformation of the heat supply be achieved?
RLI is part of a research project on climate-neutral development of the heating and electricity sector in Birkenwerder and Hohen Neuendorf:
How can the Brandenburg municipalities of Birkenwerder and Hohen Neuendorf supply themselves with climate-neutral heat using renewable energies? What impact will this have on the power grid? What measures are…
Successful tests on underground heat storage in Berlin-Adlershof
Preliminary investigations by the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences for Berlin's largest heat storage facility have been completed:
Energy storage is an essential component of a secure, resilient and renewable energy supply. In order to balance supply and demand in the field of renewable heat supply, large heat storage facilities are needed, for…
Too warm for comfort
Climate researcher Tobias Sauter studies the melting of glaciers:
Nowhere are the effects of climate change more visible than in the world’s glaciers. The loss of ice masses is immense. Climate researcher Tobias Sauter investigates how and why the melting of glaciers is…
A Blueprint for Climate-Resilient Technology Districts
A master plan for climate resilience is intended to prepare Adlershof, as well as other locations, for the future:
Climate change is very much here and so it’s high time to prepare the technology park for the future. How exactly this will be done is currently being worked out with the support of WISTA, with a master plan being…
Stünzi’s sense of snow
HU scientist Simone Maria Stünzi studies the vegetation in permafrost soils:
At the Earth Observation Lab of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), scientist Simone Maria Stünzi investigates how vegetation interacts with permafrost soil and how these processes are changing against the backdrop…
Scientists caution irreversible climate damages when it comes to overshooting 1.5°C
A study coordinated by Humboldt-Universität has analysed so-called overshoot scenarios and warns of their consequences for the climate and the environment:
Even if it is possible to reverse the rise of global temperatures after a temporary overshoot of 1.5°C, some climate damages triggered at peak warming will be irreversible. These are the findings of 30 scientists…
HU Geographer studies investments in environmental and biodiversity conservation in South America
Cross-national analysis shows how funds can be used more efficiently to protect tropical forests:
Scientific studies on the protection of tropical rainforests and dry forests show three trends over the last few decades: since the 1990s, the forest cover has shrunk by an estimated 65,000 to 95,000 km2. At the same…
Greenhouse gas neutral research
HZB wants to be a role model for a clean future:
“When a research institution is heavily focused on renewable energies, it should set an example in its efforts for climate protection,” says Carina Hanke. “Because of this, HZB has committed itself to become…
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…
HZB makes progress towards greenhouse gas neutrality by 2035
Carina Hanke, climate and energy manager at HZB, tells about the project’s challenges and results:
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has committed to achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2035. To find its main emission sources, it determined its greenhouse gas footprint and had it verified by an external…
HZB aims to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2035
The research institute presents verified greenhouse gas balance as a basis for savings measures:
HZB is aware of its social responsibility. Now, HZB’s Greenhouse Gas Report is here, after being externally verified, and identifies the main sources of emissions. The report provides the basis for significantly…
17 articulated buses with electric drive for Berlin
E-MetroBus project presents results:
In the E-MetroBus project, the partner organizations Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), TU Berlin and Reiner Lemoine Institute, have integrated seventeen articulated buses with battery-electric drive into their fleet.…
Effects of sector coupling on the German power grid
RLI research team presented the eGoⁿ project, a planning instrument for the electricity grid expansion with flexibility options by integrating other energy sectors:
In early June, a team from the research department Transformation of Energy Systems of the Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI) presented their eGon project. In the project, the researchers are investigating the effects of…
Green Deal Ukraina: HZB launches an Energy & Climate Project
Think tank will assist in rebuilding a sustainable energy system in Ukraine:
Green Deal Ukraina, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is working with partner institutions in Ukraine and Poland to establish an energy and climate think tank in the capital, Kiev. The…