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 .
- Green hydrogen: MXenes shows talent as catalyst for oxygen evolutionThe MXene class of materials has many talents. An international team led by HZB chemist Michelle Browne has now demonstrated that MXenes, properly functionalised, are excellent catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in electrolytic water splitting. They are more stable and efficient than the best metal oxide catalysts currently available. The team is now extensively characterising these MXene catalysts for water splitting at the Berlin X-ray source BESSY II and Soleil Synchrotron in France.
- Green hydrogen: ‘Artificial leaf’ becomes better under pressureHydrogen 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). A research team at HZB has now shown that the efficiency of PEC cells can be significantly increased under pressure.
- Green hydrogen from direct seawater electrolysis- experts warn against hypeAt 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 would require years of high-end research. And what is more: DSE electrolyzers are not even necessary - a simple desalination process is sufficient to prepare seawater for conventional electrolyzers. In a commentary in Joule, international experts compare the costs and benefits of the different approaches and come to a clear recommendation.