Knowledge transfer: BAIP consulting office becomes permanent at HZB
The BAIP Team (l.t.r.): Thorsten Kühn (Architecture, Consultancy, and Training), Björn Rau (Office Head), Samira Jama Aden (Architecture, Consultancy, and Training), Markus Sauerborn (Network and Transfer). © Katja Bilo
The BAIP consulting office for building-integrated photovoltaics has been launched as a knowledge transfer project in 2019, funded by the Helmholtz Association's Initiative and Networking Fund. In order to build a bridge between the world of construction and photovoltaics, the consulting office provides comprehensive knowledge for architects, planners, builder-owners, investors and urban developers. After an excellent evaluation, the BAIP consulting office will be permanently financed by HZB.
Classic rooftop photovoltaics are not suitable for every building. But there are now many more options for generating solar power where it is needed: Photovoltaic modules can be integrated into façades and other parts of the building envelope, and they are available in different colours and surface structures, thus also enabling aesthetic designs. However, these new solutions are not yet sufficiently known among experts in the world of construction.
In order to close this knowledge gap, Björn Rau and Markus Sauerborn founded the consulting office in 2019 as a knowledge transfer project and obtained funding from the Helmholtz Association's Initiative and Networking Fund. The BAIP office informs and advises stakeholders from the construction industry nationwide on the possible applications of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) - and does so neutrally and independently of products. BAIP offers consultations and very quickly designed concrete training formats in cooperation with the chambers of architects in Germany and several universities. After being evaluated as excellent by the Helmholtz Association, the HZB is now anchoring the BAIP consulting office as a long-term institution in the field of solar energy and is taking over the permanent basic funding.
The BAIP advice centre is headed by Björn Rau and currently employs Samira Aden and Thorsten Kühn, two proven experts from the field of architecture, who design and implement the consultations and training formats for various specialist audiences.
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- 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.