HI ERN | EN

Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy

The Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN) investigates and develops material- and process-based solutions for a climate-neutral, sustainable, and cost-effective utilization of renewable energies. The institute works on the structural and functional characterization, modeling, and processing of materials relevant to hydrogen and solar technology. The common goal is the understanding of structure-performance-process relationship on the mesoscale.

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RECENT NEWS

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14 July 2025

Green hydrogen in fuel cell quality from the municipal gas grid

For the first time, high-purity hydrogen has been isolated electrochemically from the municipal gas grid. Hydrogen is produced when excess wind power electricity is fed into the gas grid. Since the successful commissioning in May of this year, the recovery of pure, high-quality hydrogen has been demonstrated through reconversion into electricity in a fuel cell.

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7 July 2025

Efficient Laser Process Yields Crystalline Iridium Oxide Nanoparticles with promising Catalytic Properties

Researchers have developed a laser-induced nanoscale engineering process that enables the controlled synthesis of ultra-small, crystalline iridium oxide nanoparticles. These materials demonstrate outstanding activity and stability in the anode reaction of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis—a key process in green hydrogen production.

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4 July 2025

The ideal recyclable solar cell: Comment in Nature Reviews Chemistry

The two authors Dr. Ian Marius Peters and Prof. Christoph Brabec are calling for a radical rethink in the design of solar cells. In future, these must be conceived as a compromise between performance, longevity and recyclability in order to realize a sustainable circular economy in solar energy.

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6 June 2025

New impulses for semiconductor research

Starting in October 2025, the DFG will fund the new Collaborative Research Center (CRC) “ChemPrint – Next-Generation Printed Semiconductors: Engineering at the Atomic Level Using Molecular Surface Chemistry” at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). HI ERN is also participating in the CRC.

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2 June 2025

New method developed for identifying side products in LOHC systems

Repetitive storage cycles can give rise to undesirable side products that deposit on catalysts and impair their function. Using a special analytical method, these side products can now be precisely identified and their structures determined. This will enable processes to be optimized in the future in order to minimize contamination and reduce costs and resource consumption.

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16 May 2025

Dr. Yi-Hsuan Wu receives Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdocs

For his work in the field of Electrochemical Glycerol Oxidation (GOR), Dr. Yi-Hsuan Wu received the Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdocs. The goal of his research is to improve product selectivity and stability in the electrochemical oxidation of glycerol. Optimizing the catalysts will help to make the electrochemical conversion of glycerol more efficient - an important step towards sustainable hydrogen production and value creation from biomass.

UPCOMING Events

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25 October 2025 | Nuremberg and Erlangen

Long Night of Sciences 2025

Curious visitors welcome! Exhibits and the direct exchange with our scientists offer interested parties exciting insights into the work of the HI ERN and illustrate the scope of our research in the field of renewable energies.

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Degree programme | Lecture series

Study for a better future with Clean Energy Processes

The energy transition is one of the great challenges of our time: Where will energy come from in the future? And how can it be stored and used efficiently in a sustainable chemical industry? The focus is on sustainable production as well as the distribution and use of renewable energies for industry - always taking into account socio-economic, ecological and legal factors. Students benefit from a research-strong, interdisciplinary approach as well as FAU's close ties to HI ERN.