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Energy and Environment (ENE)

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Energy and Environment Research Division

Research at PSI comprises all aspects of human energy use, with the ultimate goal of promoting development towards a sustainable energy supply system. Technologies are being advanced for the utilization of renewable energy sources, low-loss energy storage, efficient conversion, and low emission energy use. Experimental and model-based assessment of these emissions forms the basis of a comprehensive assessment of economic, environmental and social consequences, for both present and future energy supply systems.

Division Head: Prof. Dr. Thomas Justus Schmidt


Energy Briefing Event 2022

On June 28th, 2022, the Energy Divisions (ENE and NES) at PSI hosted their first Energy Briefing Event at the Kursaal in Bern. Knowledgeable voices from industry, research and government shared insights in a dialogue on the feasibility of the Net Zero goal and what next steps are required to achieve this collectively.

A big thank you to Daniela Decurtins (GazEnergy), Particia Sandmeier (Hitachi Energy), Martin Naef (ABB), Pascal Previdoli (BFE), Thomas Schmidt (PSI), Christian Verhoeven (GE), Peter Richner (Empa), Andreas Pautz (PSI) and our Moderator Stephan Lendi for their valuable contributions and insights!

Highlights & News

13 December 2018
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2018 Highly Cited Researchers

Three LAC researchers were highly cited in 2018.

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23 October 2018
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Breakthrough - electron crystallography for everyone

Recent advances in electron crystallography published in Angewandte Chemie and highlighted by Science, Chemical & Engineering News and ScienceNews!Under the lead of LSK member, "Rapid structure determination of microcrystalline molecular compounds using electron diffraction", published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.201811318 has attracted great attention in the chemistry community.

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17 October 2018
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Why the Little Ice Age ended in the middle of the 19th century

Media Releases Energy and Climate Environment

In the first half of the 19th century, a series of large volcanic eruptions in the tropics led to a temporary global cooling of Earth's climate. That Alpine glaciers grew and subsequently receded again during the final phase of the so-called Little Ice Age was due to a natural process. This has now been proven by PSI researchers on the basis of ice cores.

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29 June 2018

Brennstoffzellen zum Durchbruch verhelfen

Wasserstoff gilt als vielversprechende Alternative für eine Zukunft ohne fossile Energieträger. Um Brennstoffzellen weiterzuentwickeln und für einen Markteintritt vorzubereiten, verstärkt die Empa die Zusammenarbeit mit der H2 Energy Holding AG und dem Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI).

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26 September 2017
In the experimental chamber, a very thin vertical jet of water can be seen, which flows downward in the middle of the picture from a small tube. During the experiment, the chamber contains a gas mixture including ozone, which reacts on the surface with bromide in the water and produces bromine. As an intermediate step in the process, a short-lived compound of bromide and ozone is made, which was detected for the first time ever with the help of X-ray light from SLS. For this proof, the X-ray light knocked …

Light from the particle accelerator helps to understand ozone decomposition

PSI researchers have developed an experimental chamber in which they can recreate atmospheric processes and probe them with unprecedented precision, using X-ray light from the Swiss Light Source SLS. In the initial experiments, they have studied the production of bromine, which plays an essential role in the decomposition of ozone in the lower layers of the atmosphere. In the future, the new experiment chamber will also be available for use by researchers from other scientific fields.

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21 September 2017
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Coexistence of Physisorbed and Solvated HCl at Warm Ice Surfaces

The interfacial ionization of strong acids is an essential factor of multiphase and heterogeneous chemistry in environmental science, cryospheric science, catalysis research and material science. Using Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron (NAPP) spectroscopy, we directly detected a low surface coverage of adsorbed HCl at 253 K in both molecular and dissociated states and interpret the results as physisorbed molecular HCl at the outermost ice surface and dissociation occurring upon solvation deeper in the interfacial region. This study gives clear evidence for nonuniformity across the air−ice interface and questions the use of acid−base concepts in interfacial processes.

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13 July 2017

Gasoline cars produce more carbonaceous particulate matter than modern filter-equipped diesel cars

In contrast to nitrogen oxides, modern gasoline cars emit much more cancerogenic primary soot (black carbon + primary organic aerosol) and lead to more toxic secondary organic aerosol than modern diesel vehicles.

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22 February 2017
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Ice-core evidence of earliest extensive copper metallurgy in the Andes 2700 years ago

Although copper (Cu) was essential for the wealth of pre- and post-colonial societies in the Andes, the onset of extensive Cu metallurgy in South America is still debated. Based on a 6500 year ice-core Cu record from Illimani glacier in Bolivia we provide the first complete history of large-scale Cu smelting activities in South America. Earliest anthropogenic Cu pollution was found during the Early Horizon period ~700-50 BC. We attribute the onset of intensified Cu smelting in South America to the activities of the central Andean Chiripa and Chavin cultures ~2700 years ago. This study provides for the first time substantial evidence for extensive Cu metallurgy already during these early cultures.

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5 January 2017

Nanotechnology enables new insights into chemical reactions

Media Releases Energy and Climate Research Using Synchrotron Light Micro- and Nanotechnology

Eighty percent of all products of the chemical industry are manufactured with catalytic processes. Catalysis is also indispensable in energy conversion and treatment of exhaust gases. Industry is always testing new substances and arrangements that could lead to new and better catalytic processes. Researchers of the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Villigen and ETH Zurich have now developed a method for improving the precision of such experiments, which may speed up the search for optimal solutions.

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General Contact

Research Division Energy and Environment
Paul Scherrer Institut
5232 Villigen-PSI
Switzerland

 

Thomas


Division Head
Prof. Dr. Thomas J. Schmidt
Telephone: +41 56 310 57 65
E-mail: thomasjustus.schmidt@psi.ch

Area of Responsibility:

  • Head of Division
  • Overall responsibility
  • Strategy
  • Organizational development

ENE Staff

Denise_Verhoeven


Chief of Staff
Denise Verhoeven
+41 56 310 25 45
denise.verhoeven@psi.ch

Area of Responsibility:

  • Personnel & Finances
  • Process management
  • Organizational development
  • Health & Safety (EHS)
  • Deputy of the Division Head

Jörg


Dr. Jörg Roth
+41 56 310 53 96
joerg.roth@psi.ch

Area of Responsibility:

  • Interlaboratory Coordination
  • Information Safety Officer
  • Building Manager OLGA

Ursula


Ursula Ludgate
+41 56 310 20 92
ursula.ludgate@psi.ch

Area of Responsibility:

  • Divisional Assistant

Michelle


Michelle Serina Kalousek
+41 56 310 24 75
michelle.kalousek@psi.ch

Area of Responsibility:

  • Internal Communication
  • Coordination with AKO on external communication topics

ENE Open positions

current opening at Research Division Energy and Environment

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