Bernd Rech boardmember of the "work group of energy"
Bernd Rech will focus on renewable energy issues.
Prof. Bernd Rech will speak on recent findings in thin film silicon photovoltaik research at the autumn meeting of the energy work group of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Rech had been elected into the board of the work group earlier this year.
Main topic will be polycrystalline silicon thin films on glas. HZB researchers were able to increase the efficiency of these solar cells considerably
As speaker of the renewable energy program of the Helmholtz Association, Bernd Rech intends to discuss issues of the turnaround in energy policy in his new role in the DPG.
The autumn meeting of the DPG energy work group wil be in Bad Honnef on October 1 and 2. The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft is an organisation that has as its member scientists working in universities, research institutions, and the industry as well as teachers and (PhD-)students. There are also about 160 institutional members.
- Green hydrogen with PEC electrolysers: New insights into transport processesOne method of storing solar energy is to use PEC electrolysers to produce hydrogen. However, scaling up this technology remains challenging. Now, a team at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has used 2D fluorescence imaging and particle velocimetry to observe the movement of ions and dissolved gases within the electrolyte during electrolysis. These new insights may prove useful in the development of larger PEC electrolysers.
- New contact material boosts the efficiency of perovskite solar cellsA newly developed material for the electron contact improves the efficiency of single perovskite solar cells and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The new material is based on a carborane molecule. It offers several advantages over the standard material C60, as shown by the study led by Steve Albrecht’s team. The new material has since been patented and is already commercially available.
- BESSY II: New sample environment allows glimpse into thermocatalytic processesA novel measurement cell allows, for the first time, soft and hard X-ray investigations under high pressures of up to 20 bar and temperatures of up to 400°C. This provides new insights into thermocatalytic processes, such as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for producing synthetic fuels. The development of the measurement cell is considered a significant achievement within the Care-O-Sene project.