Ulm's Science City is regarded as the world's leading centre for energy research. Our aim is to research the major issues of the future and to advance society.
Prof Birgit Esser
Institute of Organic Chemistry II and Advanced Materials
Green Energy
What comes after the lithium-ion battery? How can solar energy be stored chemically? And how can fuel cells be produced on a mass scale? At the Green Energy Campus Ulm, researchers are pursuing these questions with great curiosity - and developing new technologies for energy storage and conversion.
Together for a sustainable future
Ulm University, the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and Ulm University of Applied Sciences (THU) work together with companies from the region on the Green Energy Campus Ulm. The goal: high-performance, safe and sustainable storage systems for the energy transition and the mobility of the future.
Passionate search for batteries
for the post-lithium age
Lithium, a light metal that is critical for making high-energy-density batteries offering high voltages, low weight and low density, is considered "white gold" by experts. However, the skyrocketing demand entails some serious ecological, economic and political problems and uncertainties. That's why researchers at the Green Energy Campus Ulm are dedicated to finding alternatives.
The POLiS cluster of excellence
POLiS, Germany's only cluster of excellence for battery research, is the internationally renowned flagship of Ulm's Green Energy Campus. The acronym stands for "Post Lithium Storage Cluster of Excellence". At POLiS, scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Ulm University are researching innovative battery materials and storage technologies.
The cluster of excellence was approved in 2018 and endowed with 47 million euros for seven years. In 2025, the DFG and the German Council of Science and Humanities will decide whether the cluster of excellence will be extended for a further seven years. Partners include the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the University of Giessen.
Go to POLiS website
The aim of our cluster is to develop high-performance storage materials that are both safe and environmentally friendly and that do not require problematic substances such as lithium and cobalt. Instead, battery electrodes based on sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium will be developed and evaluated.
Using innovative approaches, the challenge is to eliminate the disadvantages associated with such lithium-free systems. These include the low mobility of the ions, rapid ageing, and the insufficient reversibility of charging and discharging processes. We need to find solutions to these drawbacks to turn our lithium-free vision into a reality.
One hot candidate among next-generation batteries is storage systems based on organic electrode materials (OEM). OEMs do not require any metals at all, which is also an economic advantage. After all, the battery of the future should not only be safe, powerful and environmentally friendly, but also affordable.
Despite all the efforts to find alternatives, the lithium-ion battery remains an extremely promising technology. For this reason, POLiS scientists continue to improve and refine lithium-based storage systems and to work on new concepts for battery recycling.
Visionary development of technologies for the production of green hydrogen
On our Green Energy Campus, scientists from Ulm University and Jena University have been inspired by photosynthesis. They are working on techniques designed to convert sunlight into chemical energy in the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 234 CataLight. This CRC is dedicated to "Light-driven molecular catalysts in hierarchically structured materials – synthesis and mechanistic studies" and has been funded by the DFG since 2018, which provided roughly ten million euros in the first phase of funding.
The CRC CataLight
Researchers at CataLight are developing sustainable processes for splitting water molecules using light, with the aim of producing green hydrogen. In summer 2022, the DFG extended the CRC 234 CataLight, which it has been funding since 2018, awarding it a further twelve million euros. The Collaborative Research Centre is improving photocatalytic materials and methods in order to develop chemical solar energy converters.
"Hydrogen plays a key role in light-driven water splitting because it is an excellent energy storage medium," explains Professor Sven Rau. As the head of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry I at Ulm University, Rau is co-spokesperson of CRC 234 CataLight.
"In nature, light-driven processes such as photosynthesis are always embedded in hierarchically structured environments that are dynamic and adaptable," Professor Rau explains. Using so-called "soft matter materials", the researchers want to conceptually recreate biological architectures such as those found in the photosynthetically active cell organelles of plants. These include biomimetic lipid bilayers, for example.
In the first funding period, CataLight has already succeeded in developing a molecular mechanism for the self-repair of photocatalysts.
In addition to the lead universities of Jena and Ulm, the University of Vienna, the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz and the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology e.V. are also contributing to CRC 234. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) has joined as a new partner. Together we explore several ways of producing green hydrogen.
Shaping the future with world-class researchers
"The fact that we are making an important contribution to an efficient and sustainable energy supply with our research motivates us enormously."
Prof. Axel Groß
Institute of Theoretical Chemistry
"Working on new energy storage systems based on sustainable raw materials is a particular motivation for my team and for me."
Prof. Maximilian Fichtner
Helmholtz Institute Ulm
"Green energy generation and sustainable energy storage are our strategies for a sustainable future."
Dr. Montaha Anjass
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry I
"With our research on hydrogen and carbon dioxide, we have the opportunity to break completely new ground."
Prof. Robert Güttel
Institute of Chemical Engineering
The Green Energy Campus Ulm at a glance
Excellent research requires strong partners. This is why Ulm University is cooperating closely with the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) on the Green Energy Campus Ulm, as well as with selected companies in the Science City.
From fundamental research to production - a unique ecosystem with a corresponding value chain has been established here. Thanks to these world-class alliances, the individual innovation steps go hand in hand.
Strong partners for strong teamwork
At Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage (HIU), international research groups are developing and testing innovative battery materials and new storage technologies.
The HIU was founded by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a member of the Helmholtz Association, and Ulm University, together with their partners, the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The ZSW, which was founded in 1988 and is based in Stuttgart and Ulm, is a non-profit foundation which focuses on accelerating the translation of findings from basic/fundamental research into marketable application technology. In addition, findings are transferred to industry. Both aspects relate above all to the field of renewable energies and energy conversion.
An outstanding ZSW bridgehead for technology transfer is, for example, the Powder-Up! pilot plant for the production of battery materials, which was inaugurated in May 2024. The HyFaB research factory for hydrogen technology and fuel cell technology is another highlight. HyFab houses the fuel cell test centre, which came into operation in 2022 and is the largest in Europe in the class up to 250 kilowatts. It also includes an assembly hall for the robot-assisted, automated stacking of fuel cells, which is due to start operations at the end of 2024.
Direct networking of science & business
Together, we want to set the course for a sustainable future on the Green Energy Campus Ulm. Campus-wide networking is essential for this. The energy storage research platform CELEST and the Centre for Energy Research and Technology (ZET) in particular show how well this works.
While CELEST promotes scientific cooperation between international players, ZET brings science and industry together. As always at the Green Energy Campus Ulm: at the highest level!
Networking across the campus
CELEST is one of the largest and most ambitious platforms worldwide in the field of electrochemical energy storage. The Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm & Karlsruhe was founded in 2018 by KIT, the University of Ulm and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW).
CELEST covers a broad spectrum of research: from fundamental electrochemical research to large-scale cell production, from experimental material synthesis and computer modelling to battery and fuel cell testing.
There are currently 55 members from over 30 institutes involved. In 2018, the researchers succeeded in onboarding POLiS, the only cluster of excellence in battery research to date. CELEST also coordinates joint scientific activities with research institutes and companies in Germany and abroad and promotes technology transfer.
Scientists from Ulm University, Ulm University of Applied Sciences (THU) and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) have been jointly researching energy topics at this centre since 2018.
The main focus is on different perspectives: from smart grids to synthetic fuels, from the basics to applications. The three institutions involved in the ZET complement each other.
The Institute of Chemical Engineering at Ulm University is focussing on the question of how synthetic fuels can be sustainably produced from renewable energy sources. Research at THU also includes work on smart power grids. The ZSW is responsible for building bridges to industry.
Modern infrastructure for ground-breaking research
The Green Energy Campus Ulm is equipped with state-of-the-art research infrastructure. The JUSTUS supercomputer and the SALVE super microscope are particularly noteworthy.
The computer is the centrepiece of the bwForCluster for theoretical Chemistry, which was later expanded to include quantum sciences. The supermicroscope is the world's only colour and spherical aberration corrected low-voltage transmission electron microscope. It was developed by ambitious researchers right here on the Green Energy Campus.
Modern infrastructure
Highly complex modelling, elaborate simulations and extensive data analyses on an unbelievable scale - all this is enabled by the JUSTUS supercomputer. The state initiative for high-performance computing is now also promoting battery research in addition to theoretical chemistry.
JUSTUS was put into operation in 2014 and its successor JUSTUS 2 in 2020, which was one of the 400 most powerful supercomputers in the world at the time. JUSTUS 3 was approved in spring 2024 and will replace its predecessor in the coming years.
With the Ulm supermicroscope, battery research scientists are immersing themselves in the world of atoms. And because SALVE operates on low voltage, even radiation-sensitive materials can be examined – down to the atomic level. A large number of anode and cathode materials have already been analysed with atomic precision. The findings help to reveal the actual crystal structure of the materials and to verify the corresponding computer models.
Educating the experts of the future
For the energy transition to succeed, more experts are required. Ulm University provides the knowledge and training they need. With a number of institutes that impart knowledge and expertise on many levels on electrochemical energy storage (EES), the Green Energy Campus Ulm provides a perfect starting point. Let's drive the energy transition together!
Acquiring knowledge
Ulm University equips young people with the necessary scientific foundations and cutting-edge knowledge through excellent teaching, right from its Bachelor's degree programmes. It also offers two programmes taught in English: Energy Science and Technology and Chemical Engineering. Together, we are laying the foundations for a sustainable future.
The Graduate School "Electrochemical Energy Storage" (GS-EES) and the Research Training Group "Simulation of Mechanical-Electrical-Thermal Processes in Lithium-Ion Batteries" (SiMET) are aimed at doctoral students who want to specialise in EES topics. The programmes are embedded in the CELEST energy storage research network. Check out their website!
Ulm University of Applied Sciences (THU) also offers a comprehensive range of courses on energy topics. Whether you’re interested in a Bachelor's or Master's programme, you will find what you are looking for here!
Are you a technician looking to become an expert in hydrogen, fuel cells, battery storage systems and heat pumps? The Education and Training Centre for Innovative Energy Technologies (WBZU) is the place to go!
Milestones of the Green Energy Campus Ulm
05/2022
Extension
CRC 234 CataLight
12/2018
Foundation
Centre for Energy Research and Technology (ZET)
09/2018
Approval
Post Lithium Storage Cluster of Excellence (POLiS)
05/2018
Approval
CRC 234 CataLight (Light-driven molecular catalysts in hierarchically structured materials - synthesis and mechanistic studies)
2018
Foundation
Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage Ulm & Karlsruhe (CELEST) research platform
2011
Foundation
Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage (HIU)
2010 - 2016
DFG Research Unit
"Elementary Steps in Electrocatalysis: Theory meets Experiment" (FOR 1376)
1988
Foundation
Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW)
The podcast "Geladen" has been around since 2020. It is a joint project of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) and the POLiS cluster of excellence. In the podcast, hosts Daniel Messling and Patrick von Rosen passionately discuss topics relating to battery research, the energy transition and electromobility with renowned experts.