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.
Audio: 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".
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.
- Discover HZB at our Open Day on 28 AugustWe warmly invite you to our Open Day at the Lise Meitner Campus of the Helmholtz Centre Berlin (HZB) in Wannsee! A varied programme awaits you, featuring around 20 stations, guided tours, talks and hands-on activities for all.
- Hatice Mutlu appointed to the Helmholtz Institute HIPOLE in JenaProf. Dr Hatice Mutlu is the new professor of sustainable polymer chemistry at HIPOLE Jena, the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications. On 17 August 2026, she visited the HZB campus in Berlin-Adlershof including the BESSY II lightsource and discussed future collaboration with researchers and the board of directors.