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

31 October 2025

7Ex Wins JUICE Innovation Contest 2025 – Turning Science into Business

At this year’s JUICE Innovation Contest, six teams from Forschungszentrum Jülich pitched how their science could become real-world innovation. The jury awarded first place to 7Ex, with the participation of Max Meyer (HI ERN), for its breakthrough in sustainable lithium recovery. H2Cycle and NeuroSense took second and third place.

29. Oktober 2025

12th Long Night of Science: Open doors at HI ERN for night owls

Practical demonstrations, exclusive laboratory tours, and exciting questions about hydrogen and photovoltaic research at HI ERN: The Long Night of Science once again offered numerous curious visitors exciting insights into science.

22 October 2025

Hydrogen storage for the world: HI ERN researchers aim to enable seasonal electricity storage

The innovative H2Season concept involves storing hydrogen reversibly in liquid hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) using electrochemical processes for seasonal energy storage. This technology is economically promising. It offers a wide range of applications, low material and operating costs, and economic scalability to meet growing energy storage demand.

21 October 2025

Sustainable production of methanol from biomass and renewable electricity: Launch of the MeOH-RES research project

The launch of the MeOH-RES project, led by HI ERN, is the first step towards sustainable methanol production. Methanol is one of the world's most important chemicals and energy sources, but it is mainly been obtained from fossil fuels until now. The project aims to produce methanol in a climate-neutral way using biogenic residues and renewable electricity.

20 October 2025

3 over 100: All three HI ERN directors with an outstanding h-index over 100

An extraordinary scientific success: all three directors of the institute have recently achieved an h-index of over 100 - clear evidence of the outstanding productivity and international influence of their research and that of their teams at HI ERN.

17 October 2025

Understanding Degradation Pathways in PEM Water Electrolysis

Scientists reveal degradation mechanisms in PEM water electrolysis by a correlative electrochemical and nanoanalysis approach. The results were recently published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.

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UPCOMING Events

9 - 10 October 2025 | Nuremberg

NGSE10 - Next Generation Solar Energy

This year the conference will include a topic-specific workshop about the Emerging PV initiative and a poster session.

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.

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