Energy
Wood: a wild card for the energy transition
Research
WSL PSI
Wood is a trump card for the energy transition because it is very versatile and easy to store. Compared to today, up to a third more energy could be obtained from wood, not only in the form of heat, but also in the form of electricity and fuels. However, current use is not efficient enough, Swiss bioenergy researchers have shown in a new report.
Methane as an energy store
TechTransfer
PSI
One important question regarding the planned transition to supplying energy without greenhouse gas emissions is: how can we store energy for times when wind turbines and photovoltaic systems are not supplying electricity? Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the start-up AlphaSYNT offer one possible answer. With a new approach to “power-to-methane” conversion, they are promoting a technology for storing energy in the form of methane gas that is ready for industrial use.
A solar hydrogen system that co-generates heat and oxygen
TechTransfer
EPFL
EPFL researchers have built a pilot-scale solar reactor that produces usable heat and oxygen, in addition to generating hydrogen with unprecedented efficiency for its size.
When disorder helps solve our energy problems
Research
Empa
Empa researcher Amy Knorpp wants to bring systematics into the young research field of high-entropy oxides. The latter are crystals whose specialty is not order, but disorder. By using these crystals, Amy Knorpp aims to develop new, more robust and more efficient catalysts and thus make an important contribution to the shift away from fossil fuels towards CO2-neutral solutions. Her research is supported by an "Empa Young Scientist Fellowship".
Lower energy consumption thanks to daylight-saving time
Research
Empa
The elimination of daylight-saving time is a frequently – and heatedly – discussed topic. Often, only the aspect of electricity consumption due to artificial lighting is considered. In a new study, Empa researchers have now analyzed whether daylight saving also has an impact on the heating and cooling energy required for office buildings, and what role climate change might play in this. The results should delight supporters of daylight-saving time.
Where should wind turbines be constructed in Switzerland?
Research
ETH Zurich
A study by researchers at ETH Zurich shows for the first time how a relaxation of Swiss spatial planning policy would affect the locations of wind turbines. If the aim is to have as few wind turbines as possible in the Alps and in Switzerland in general, it would be worth considering using windy agricultural areas on the western Swiss Plateau.
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