Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin is a bicycle-friendly employer
Am HZB können Mitarbeitende ihre Fahrräder regelmäßig auf Verkehrssicherheit überprüfen lassen. © HZB
Since 2017, the German Cyclists' Federation (ADFC) has been awarding the EU-wide "Bicycle-Friendly Employer" certification. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has now been awarded the coveted silver seal. With this, the HZB wants to be even more attractive as an employer, especially for international applicants.
Those who encourage employees to cycle benefit in several ways. Bicycle-friendly employers save resources, as bicycle parking is ultimately cheaper and requires less space than car parking spaces. Regular cycling improves health and increases motivation. Attractive cycling offers also count in the competition for skilled labour.
Sara Tsudome, Project Manager at the ADFC Association, says: "The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin supports employees who cycle to work with many different measures. This brings many advantages: The employer can score points in terms of company health, environmental and mobility management."
The certification also contributes to an important goal. HZB wants to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2035. Commuting to work causes high emissions, as the recently published greenhouse gas balance sheet of the HZB shows. Promoting cycling and improving the cycling infrastructure is therefore an important factor.
HZB was awarded the "Bicycle-Friendly Employer" certificate based on on-site inspections at the Berlin-Adlershof and Berlin-Wannsee sites and the documents submitted in advance. "The initial idea came from our Sustainability Officer, Dr Karin Haas. It took more than two years to receive the certificate," says Roswitha Schabardin, who was appointed as the bicycle coordinator. A large project team at HZB has initiated various measures in recent months (see below).
These endeavours by the HZB will continue in the coming years. "In three years' time, we will be re-certified by the ADFC. Perhaps we will then achieve gold status. But there's still some work to do. We received a number of recommendations in the audit report, including further roofing for the new bicycle racks," says Roswitha Schabardin.
Measures implemented at HZB (selection):
- regular bike checks in late summer / autumn
- new bicycle racks at the Adlershof site
- Bicycle repair stations
- Directions for cyclists to both campsites on the Internet
- Bike safety presentations followed by training rides
- new company bicycles at both locations
- Acquisition of cargo bikes at the Adlershof site
- regular participation of the HZB in STADTRADELN
- Test days for e-bikes
- regular health checks and health management
- 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.
- Compact electron accelerator for treating PFAS-contaminated waterSo-called forever chemicals or PFAS compounds are a growing environmental problem. An innovative approach to treating PFAS-contaminated water and soil now comes from accelerator physics: high-energy electrons can break down PFAS molecules into harmless components through a process called radiolysis. A recent study published in PLOS One shows that an accelerator developed at HZB, based on a SRF photoinjector, can provide the necessary electron beam.
- Bright prospects for tin perovskite solar cellsPerovskite solar cells are widely regarded as the next generation photovoltaic technology. However, they are not yet stable enough in the long term for widespread commercial use. One reason for this is migrating ions, which cause degradation of the semiconducting material over time. A team from HZB and the University of Potsdam has now investigated the ion density in four different, widely used perovskite compounds and discovered significant differences. Tin perovskite semiconductors produced with an alternative solvent had a particular low ion density — only one tenth that of lead perovskite semiconductors. This suggests that tin-based perovskites could be used to make solar cells that are not only really environmentally friendly but also very stable.