Research with muons

Overview

CuGa

•Energy and Climate

Promotion versus Poisoning in Copper–Gallium-Based CO2-to-Methanol Hydrogenation Catalysts

Renewable Energies

Cu–Ga-based CO₂-to-methanol hydrogenation catalysts display a range of catalytic performance, depending on their preparation. Here, we investigated how the Ga/Cu ratio and Ga speciation affect the catalytic activity. Using surface organometallic chemistry, we prepared a series of silica-supported 3–6 nm Cu_1–_xGa_xO_y nanoparticles with a range of x_Ga. The materials display a volcano-type activity behavior, where methanol formation is promoted when x_Ga < 0.13–0.18 and is suppressed at higher values, indicating a poisoning of the catalysts. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and in situ infrared spectroscopy helped to understand the structure-activity relationship.

Romain Sacchi und seine Kollegen an der Universität Leiden haben erstmals neun verschiedene Produktionsprozesse von Wasserstoff im Hinblick auf deren Lebenszyklusemissionen unter die Lupe genommen und global hochgerechnet.

How clean is hydrogen for the energy transition?

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Hydrogen can play a crucial role in transitioning to a net-zero energy system – but it must be produced the right way.

Methan als Energiespeicher

•Energy and Climate

Methane as an energy store

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Researchers at PSI and the start-up AlphaSYNT are working together on a solution for efficiently storing energy.

Metafuels

•Energy and Climate

A greener alternative for aviation fuel

Industry Relations

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Air travel with no carbon footprint – PSI and the Metafuels AG develop a new technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel.

Markus Jörg

•Energy and Climate

Energy efficiency in times of potential power shortages

Energy transition

Renewable Energies

How PSI is continuously improving the energy efficiency of its own infrastructure and large research facilities

Burgherr

•Energy and Climate

Preparing for energy shortages and blackouts

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Peter Burgherr is a risk researcher at PSI. In this interview he talks about possible power shortages in the coming winter and how to prepare for them.

WSL-Kuh

•Energy and Climate

Manure and slurry are underused energy resources

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Animal manure is packed with energy that is hugely underutilised. So concludes a white paper by Swiss bioenergy researchers.

Hydropilot

•Energy and Climate

Getting maximum energy out of biomass

Industry Relations

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI start operation of a revolutionary pilot plant for production of synthetic biogas.

Bauer

•Energy and Climate

Effectively removing CO2 from the atmosphere

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

With careful planning, effective CO₂ capture is technically possible.

Tom Kober

•Energy and Climate

“Without these technologies, we will hardly achieve our climate targets”

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

To achieve carbon neutrality, technologies need to be deployed which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Grüne Treibstoffe für den Flugverkehr

•Energy and Climate

Green fuels for aviation

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

In a new initiative, PSI and Empa want to jointly develop a process for producing kerosene from renewable resources.

ESI

•Energy and Climate

Foundations for the energy system of tomorrow

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

On the way to a sustainable energy system, technologies that help to flexibly convert and efficiently store energy are becoming increasingly important. ReMaP, a novel research platform, aims to investigate these urgent issues under realistic conditions.

Sauberes Biogas für eine erfolgreiche Energiewende

•Energy and Climate

Clean biogas for a successful energy transition

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

PSI researchers have set up camp at a biogas plant near Lucerne. Between meadows and gigantic fermenters, they are investigating how they can remove impurities from the biogas to make this energy source even more usable.

Christian Bauer und Romain Sacchi

•Energy and Climate

Life cycle assessment of cars – new web tool helps consumers and researchers

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Decision support for car buyers: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail.

Tom Kober

•Energy and Climate

Long-term developments of energy pricing and consumption in industry

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, on behalf of a research project funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), have studied how energy consumption by Swiss industry develops depending on energy prices. One result: Price increases for energy usually affect energy consumption only over the long term.

Teaser Interview Christian Bauer

•Energy and Climate

"Electric is already the right choice today"

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

An interview on automotive power systems with Christian Bauer, a scientist at PSI's Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis who specialises in life cycle and sustainability analyses.

Teaser Vorfahrt für E-Autos

•Energy and Climate

Make way for electric cars

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Petrol, diesel, fuel cell or electric – which is the automobile of the future? A PSI study has examined the overall climate impact of various vehicle engines in use today and also projected it to the year 2040.

Teaser Mobilität von morgen

•Energy and Climate

Toward better motors with X-ray light

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Making Switzerland's road traffic fit for the future calls for research, first and foremost. In the large-scale research facilities of PSI, chemists and engineers are investigating how to improve the efficiency of motors and reduce their emissions.

Teaser Interview mit Tom Kober

•Energy and Climate

"This is incredibly ambitious"

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Every three years, the World Energy Council explores possible developments of the global energy system under different scenarios. Tom Kober, head of the Energy Economics Group in PSI’s Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis and one of the lead authors of the study, explains what the individual scenarios mean and how global warming could be mitigated.

teaser power to x

•Energy and Climate

The energy system of the future and Power-to-X

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI analyse the potential of Power-to-X for Switzerland's energy supply and present their conclusions in a white paper. One finding: The costs for energy from Power-to-X could fall by up to one-third.

remap

•Energy and Climate

Testing the energy system of the future today, as realistically as possible

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

With the kick-off of the ReMaP project, companies have another opportunity to test their vision for the energy system of the future now. PSI's ESI platform helps to make better and more intelligent use of renewable energy in the future.

teaser picture

•Energy and Climate

Power on demand

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

If photovoltaic or wind power plants produce more electricity than the network can absorb, valuable energy is lost. At the ESI Platform, PSI researchers are investigating how fuel cells can contribute to making this energy usable in a targeted way through storage.

teaser picture

•Energy and Climate

Profitable for both sides

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

The young company Swiss Hydrogen is located in Fribourg. Here work is under way on competitive high-performance fuel cells that could be used in environmentally friendly vehicles or deployed as stationary power generators. In the company's collaboration with PSI, as CEO Alexandre Closset explains in this interview, both sides profit.

•Energy and Climate

New technology undergoes real-world testing

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

The Zurich-based power company Energie 360° provides natural gas, biogas, and wood pellets throughout Switzerland. Now, with the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, it has successfully tested a new Power-to-Gas technology to be implemented in the area of biogas production. The joint project was awarded the Swiss energy prize Watt d'Or 2018. In this interview, division manager Peter Dietiker talks about the collaboration with PSI.

•Energy and Climate

Using what's there

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

At the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, researchers are looking for solutions that enable energy from the sun, the wind, or biomass to be efficiently integrated into the Swiss energy system.

teaser picture

•Energy and Climate

Efficient energy from biowaste – Watt d'Or for PSI and Energie 360°

Industry Relations

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Efficiently producing energy from biowaste: A technology developed at PSI and tested in collaboration with the Zurich-based energy provider Energie 360° makes it possible. It extracts significantly more methane from biowaste than conventional methods. For this important contribution to a sustainable energy supply, PSI and Energie 360° have now been awarded the Watt d'Or 2018 in the Renewable Energy category by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.

•Energy and Climate

Stress test passed

Industry Relations

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

With a technology developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, around 60 percent more biogas can be produced from bio-waste than with conventional methods. But can it stand the test in practice as well? A 1,000-hour test at the Werdhölzli biowaste digestion and wastewater treatment plant in Zurich was able to answer this question with a clear yes. It was carried out in cooperation with the Zurich-based energy provider Energie 360°. The analysis of the stress test is now available.

•Energy and Climate

More than just spilling the beans

Industry Relations

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Because of their high nitrogen content, spent coffee grounds are a popular garden fertilizer. Recycled in this manner, they already contribute to an environmentally friendly waste management. But they have the potential to deliver much more: a new procedure developed at the PSI allows high quality methane to be formed from spent coffee grounds. PSI researchers involved in a pilot project carried out in cooperation with the Swiss food producer Nestlé were able to show that spent coffee grounds left over during the production of instant coffee can be efficiently re-used elsewhere.

•Energy and Climate

Nanomaterial helps store solar energy: efficiently and inexpensively

Materials research

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

Efficient electrolysers are needed in order to store sun and wind energy in the form of hydrogen. Thanks to a new material developed by researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and Empa, these devices are likely to become less costly and more efficient in the future. Researchers were also able to demonstrate that this new material can be reliably produced in large quantities, showing its performance capability in an electrolysis cell—the main component of an electrolyser.

•Energy and Climate

Welcome to Esiville

Renewable Energies

Energy transition

A new visitor’s station at PSI tells the story of a Swiss town that makes the change from a conventional energy supply to one with new renewable energy sources.