International Summer University on Renewable Energies: Registration now open
ISUenergy participants experimenting during a practical.
On behalf of the ISUenergy Scientific & Organising Committee it is a great pleasure to announce the 6th International Summer University on Renewable Energies and to invite your applications for this year's ISUenergy .The ISUenergy2014 will take place from Aug. 24th - Sept. 5th in Falera.
The International Summer University on Energy (ISUenergy 2014) invites you to participate in two unforgettable weeks to learn, experience and enjoy a series of seminars and lectures on renewable energies in the Swiss Alps. The school integrates different academic fields such as Physics, Material Science, Material Engineering, Architecture, Political Science and Economics, and it follows the successful ISUenergy 2009, ISUenergy 2010, ISUenergy 2011, ISUenergy 2012, and ISUenergy 2013.
The ISUenergy 2014 will provide students with a solid foundation in photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies, wind energy, solar architecture, sustainability, smart grids and energy storage. Renowned researchers and scientists from leading universities and institutes will give lectures covering a wide range of topics on the principles of renewable energy. Theoretical knowledge will be complemented with practical workshops in the first week and creative group projects (e. g. building a solar oven or installation of a LED lightening system) in the second week with special on hands-on experience.
Please find more information on the international summer university and on the application procedure under the following link. Early bird fee applications will be valid before May 15th, 2014, only.
The ISUenergy program website will be updated accordingly.
If you should have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us for more information: isue@helmholtz-berlin.de .
- Humboldt-Fellow at HZB-Institute for Solar Fuels: Alexander R. UhlAlexander R. Uhl, UBC Okanagan School of Engineering in Kelowna, Canada, aims to develop with Roel van de Krol from the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels an efficient and inexpensive photoelectrolyser for producing hydrogen using sunlight. His stay is being funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
- MXene for energy storage: More versatile than expectedMXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual MXene flakes to explore these processes in detail. Using the in situ Scanning transmission X-ray microscope 'MYSTIIC' at BESSY II, the scientists mapped the chemical states of Titanium atoms on the MXene flake surfaces. The results revealed two distinct redox reactions, depending on the electrolyte. This lays the groundwork for understanding charge transfer processes at the nanoscale and provides a basis for future research aimed at optimising pseudocapacitive energy storage devices.
- Bernd Rech elected to the BR50 Board of DirectorsThe Scientific Director at Helmholt-Zentrum Berlin is the new face behind the "Natural Sciences" unit at Berlin Research 50 (BR50). Following the election in December 2025, the constituent meeting of the new BR50 Board of Directors took place on 22 January 2026.
Its members are Michael Hintermüller (Weierstrass Institute, WIAS), Noa K. Ha (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research, DeZIM), Volker Haucke (Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, FMP), Uta Bielfeldt (German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin, DRFZ) and Bernd Rech (HZB).