Climate Strike on Friday: HZB-Direktor welcomes engagement for climate protection
"I am convinced that we must act on climate change to prevent dramatic developments," says Bernd Rech. The technologies are available, and research is already working on further options. You can start the video by clicking the picture.
08:36Audio: Speech Bernd Rech
08:36 (approx)"I find it remarkable and encouraging that more and more citizens are joining the protests of the younger generation and calling for a turnaround for climate protection," says Prof. Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). In an open video message on the occasion of the worldwide climate day planned for Friday, he welcomes the fact that HZB staff members want to participate in the actions. At the same time he calls on people not to be afraid of technical changes. "The technologies for a climate-friendly energy supply are available. We must now use them quickly, but we must also improve them and create new options".
The science is clear, Bernd Rech states: Climate change is progressing and brings with it major risks - yet global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. There are solutions, but further research is also important: "We need much, much more renewable energies," says Rech, "because with green electricity we can also produce green hydrogen. And we will need hydrogen in a future CO2-neutral energy system".
Prof. Rech points out that research on this topic also comes from the HZB: "New solar cells are in the starting blocks - with new material combinations that are much more efficient than the previous ones. Here, the HZB holds world records and is working with partners on industrialisation".
In conclusion, Rech says: "The Corona crisis has shown us that we humans accept wise measures when they are justified and protect us. I am convinced that we now also have to act on climate change to prevent dramatic developments".
- Key technology for a future without fossil fuelsIn June and July 2025, catalyst researcher Nico Fischer spent some time at HZB. It was his sabbatical, he was relieved of his duties as Director of the Catalysis Institute in Cape Town for several months and was able to focus on research only. His institute is collaborating with HZB on two projects that aim to develop environmentally friendly alternatives using innovative catalyst technologies. The questions were asked by Antonia Rötger, HZB.
- Long-term test shows: Efficiency of perovskite cells varies with the seasonScientists at HZB run a long-term experiment on the roof of a building at the Adlershof campus. They expose a wide variety of solar cells to the weather conditions, recording their performance over a period of years. These include perovskite solar cells, a new photovoltaic material offering high efficiency and low manufacturing costs. Dr Carolin Ulbrich and Dr Mark Khenkin evaluated four years of data and presented their findings in Advanced Energy Materials. This is the longest series of measurements on perovskite cells in outdoor use to date. The scientists found that standard perovskite solar cells perform very well during the summer months, even over several years, but decline in efficiency during the darker months.
- Sodium-ion batteries: New storage mechanism for cathode materialsLi-ion and Na-ion batteries operate through a process called intercalation, where ions are stored and exchanged between two chemically different electrodes. In contrast, co-intercalation, a process in which both ions and solvent molecules are stored simultaneously, has traditionally been considered undesirable due to its tendency to cause rapid battery failure. Against this traditional view, an international research team led by Philipp Adelhelm has now demonstrated that co-intercalation can be a reversible and fast process for cathode materials in Na-ion batteries. The approach of jointly storing ions and solvents in cathode materials provides a new handle for designing batteries with high efficiency and fast charging capabilities. The results are published in Nature Materials.