Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion

Sun and wind provide more than enough clean energy to cover the requirements of mankind - unfortunately, however, not always where and when it is needed, and often not in a usable form. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion are working on finding ways of storing such energy in chemical compounds. They investigate how energy can be efficiently converted into storable and usable forms, in particular searching for suitable catalysts for the chemical reactions necessary for this process. To this end, researchers use plants as models that directly produce sugar by harnessing the energy of light. But they also want to enhance methods such the electrolysis of water, with which excess electrical energy can be stored.