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Energy research
This spotlight is on groundbreaking research driving the “Energy of the Future” – the central theme of this Science Year. From hydrogen to solar power and sustainable batteries, researchers across Germany are laying the foundations for a cleaner, more resilient energy landscape. At Ruhr University Bochum, advanced material data models are paving the way for a global hydrogen economy, while the University of Stuttgart explores perovskite semiconductors as the rising stars of next-gen photovoltaics. At Deggendorf Institute of Technology, researchers team up with Stellenbosch University in South Africa to tackle the intertwined challenges of water, energy, and food security.
In Berlin, a new alliance between BAM, HZB, and HU Berlin is establishing the Berlin Battery Lab to accelerate sustainable battery innovation, while Forschungszentrum Jülich showcases the work of a doctoral researcher pioneering copper as an alternative to silver in solar cells. Meanwhile, the Bavarian SolTech network brings together five universities to harness solar energy conversion and storage through hybrid systems and green hydrogen.
Whether it’s collaborative networks, breakthrough materials, or visionary technologies, these initiatives underline Germany’s central role in shaping a sustainable global energy future.
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Bavarian Network SolTech
Harnessing sunlight for a cleaner tomorrow: Five Bavarian universities unite in "SolTech" to pioneer next-gen solar energy technologies—from green hydrogen to hybrid systems—for a sustainable global energy future.
The sun provides more energy in one hour than humanity consumes in an entire year. But how can we harness this vast, clean power source efficiently and affordably to drive forward the energy transition, meeting the need for humanity to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels?
The Bavarian research network Solar Technologies go Hybrid (SolTech) is tackling this question with a unique interdisciplinary approach that brings together expertise from five leading universities in Bavaria: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU), Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Bayreuth (UBT), and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU).
Learn more about the research network here.
Powering the future with solar energy
Even during his bachelor's studies, Mohamed dreamed of generating electricity from sunlight. Today, he is conducting research at Forschungszentrum Jülich on a pioneering alternative to silver in solar cells.
In this video, he explains why copper plays such an important role, what excites him about his life as a doctoral researcher in Germany, and why Forschungszentrum Jülich is the ideal research location for him.
MoU paves way to establishing Berlin Battery Lab
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), and Humboldt University of Berlin (HU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Berlin Battery Lab.
The laboratory will pool the expertise of the three institutions to advance the development of sustainable battery technologies:
- BAM has internationally recognized expertise in battery safety and electrochemical energy materials
- HU Berlin is a leader in Germany in academic research on sodium-ion batteries
- HZB is particularly active in research on lithium-sulfur batteries
The Berlin Battery Lab is open to industry partners from all over Germany and Europe and serves to promote the development and production of locally manufactured sustainable batteries. The collaboration between basic research, applied research, and certification enables a faster transition from research to industrial application.
Learn more here.
Overcoming the Energy and Water Crisis Together
Water, energy and food shortages and interdependences, also known as WEF-Nexus Challenges, are some of the most pressing issues that have been affecting countries globally. Take a moment and find out how Professor Tobias Bader and his team at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa work together to overcome these challenges.
Professor Bader and his team started the coop-project “HyREC²A” short for “Hybrid Renewable Energy Collaborative Climate Action“ with a clear vision in mind. It is set to establish mutual transfer of knowledge with SU in renewable energy systems to overcome the energy and water crisis. For this purpose, the intercontinental research and education alliance have defined three main objectives:
- Establishing sustainable cooperation networks across the map
- Systematic identification and initiation of joint research projects in the Western Cape
- Development, testing and establishment of joint lecture modules
Students from Bavaria and South Africa are going to work in mixed teams towards achieving their objectives and solving the WEF-Nexus-Challenges. The project is already bearing fruit, as one realistic approach to solving these problems could be the combination of hybrid energy systems from agrivoltaics and the energetic utilization of invasive biomass.
You can find out what that entails and how it’s implemented here.
Michael Saliba on perovskites
Professor Michael Saliba, Head of the Institute for Photovoltaics (ipv) of the University of Stuttgart, is one of the world’s leading researchers of perovskite. We met him to talk about this special class of material – currently regarded as a “rising star” among semiconductors.
Find out what makes perovskites highly efficient, cost-effective, lightweight, easy to produce, and a promising basis for new photovoltaic technologies in this video.
Laying the foundations for a hydrogen economy
Hydrogen plays an important role in all concepts for reducing CO2 emissions. In principle we know how it can be produced and liquefied for transport – but these processes must be implemented on a much larger scale if hydrogen is to become the basis of a future global energy market.
To date, fundamental research is still lacking. Professor Roland Span at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is developing material data models that accurately describe the properties of hydrogen under various conditions and, for example, form the basis for simulations of liquefaction plants. The European Research Council (ERC) has been funding his work since 2022 with an Advanced Grant, worth 2.5 million euros for five years.
Learn more about his research here.
Energy of the Future - Science Year 2025
A globally rising demand for energy. Limited resources. Climate change. Germany’s Science Year 2025 addresses one of the key challenges we are facing: How can we ensure a safe and sustainable energy supply in the future?
Research and innovation are essential to find solutions. And Germany has a great deal to offer in this regard. Fusion energy, clean hydrogen technologies, sustainable lithium extraction and much more: Our special issue showcases exciting energy research conducted at German universities and research institutes. And international scientists share insights into their work and life in Germany. Find out more here.
