The future of energy: recommendations from science to politics
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Experts from HZB have contributed their expertise to the position papers briefly presented here. The topics include the development of innovative materials for a sustainable energy supply and the circular economy. Experts from different areas have jointly formulated solutions and recommendations for action.
Opportunities and challenges for the further development of energy research funding
This impulse paper was written by the advisory board for the energy research programme for applied energy research. This advisory board has the task of advising the Federal Government's Energy Ministry on the development of energy research funding and transfer. In the paper, the members from industry and research emphasise specific areas for action and make suggestions. For example: "We recommend that research and industrial policy objectives be more closely interlinked and addressed in suitable programmes. This includes agile project formats, which are particularly attractive for start-ups, as well as large programme lines in which consortia of companies cooperate with scientific institutions along value chains through to application."
To the position paper (Ger) >
Press release of the Federal ministry of economic affairs and climate action >
Innovative materials: the key to an affordable, safe and sustainable energy supply
This report was written by the Helmholtz Energy research field. It provides an overview of the development of innovative materials for sustainable energy systems and recommendations for action to politicans: the contents include the promotion of multidisciplinary research projects, investment in modern research infrastructures and the strengthening of industrial competitiveness as well as the creation of an innovation-friendly regulatory environment.
To the position paper (Ger) >
Circular economy as the basis for a secure and sustainable supply of raw materials and energy
This position paper was also written by Helmholtz Energy and emphasises the need for a sustainable circular economy to protect planetary resources and the environment, reduce dependence on imports and secure energy supplies.
To the position papier (Ger) >
Building a resilient solar industry
This position paper has been formulated by the German solar research and industry and contains strategic
recommendations for strengthening the solar industry and the energy transition.
To the position paper (Ger) >
- X-ray analysis reveals overpainted fascist symbolsErich Mercker was a successful painter during the Nazi era and in the years that followed. After 1945, he covered up Nazi symbols in at least one of his paintings. With an interdisciplinary team, physicist Dr Ioanna Mantouvalou reports on this study in the Nature Journal Heritage Science.
- Magnon momentum microscopy: A new window into nanoscale spin-wavesAn international team lead by the Max Born Institute has developed a new type of momentum microscopy to image magnons — the quanta of collectively excited spins — directly in two-dimensional reciprocal space using soft X-rays. Measurements have taken place at BESSY II and PETRA III, first author ist the HZB physicist Steffen Wittrock. Owing to its remarkable sensitivity, simplicity, and access to nanometer-scale wavelengths, this novel technique establishes a powerful and versatile platform for exploring nonlinear magnon interactions, which are promising for future computing schemes.
- AI agents deliver results – but do they reason scientifically?A research team co-led by Kevin Maik Jablonka from the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications Jena (HIPOLE Jena) and N. M. Anoop Krishnan from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has developed Corral, a new benchmark for AI agents in science. The preprint “AI scientists produce results without reasoning scientifically” has been published on arXiv (https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.18805). The analysis shows that current systems can execute scientific workflows and deliver results; however, they often do not follow the basic principles of scientific testing and reasoning.