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ePaper created 2014-12-22, 09:34:33 | version 1.34.00
Energy I Earth and Environment I Health I Aeronautics, Space and Transport I Key Technologies I Structure of Matter 19 Nuclear Waste Management and Safety, as well as Radiation Research The German Bundestag has decided to terminate the pro- duction of nuclear energy and shut down the last German nuclear power plant by 2022. A new federal law will redefine the procedure for selecting the location of a final repository for highly radioactive waste in Germany. This Helmholtz programme will be an integral part of forward-looking national research and address the challenges posed by the new set of conditions. Nuclear Fusion As a nearly inexhaustible, safe and CO2-free source of energy, fusion has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting the world’s growing energy needs by mid-century. The goal of this programme is to provide a foundation for the development and construction of a fusion power plant. Two central projects that will continue to dominate fusion research over the next 20 to 30 years are ITER and Wendelstein 7-X. Forschungszentrum Jülich Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) EVEN THINNER SOLAR CELLS THROUGH THE USE OF NANOPARTICLES Nanostructures could be used to direct more light into the active layer of solar cells, thereby increas- ing their efficiency. Martina Schmid (HZB and the FU Berlin) has measured how irregularly distribut- ed silver particles change the absorption of light. She showed that nanoparticles interact via their electromagnetic near-fields, creating local hot spots where the light is most highly concentrated. Her findings will help researchers design nanostructures that in- crease solar cell efficiency. A BYPASS SYSTEM TO STUDY MICROBIAL METABOLIC PROCESSES IN GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS In collaboration with industry partners, scientists from the GFZ have devel- oped a mobile bypass system for geothermal plants. With the help of the bypass, researchers can carry out on-site investigations of the effects of mi- crobial metabolic processes on precipitation and corrosion at different tem- peratures. In terms of the size and shape of the material samples, the system can be adapted to site-specific conditions and can be used in different areas of a plant. The goal is to develop effective measures to mitigate microbiologi- cally influenced plant disturbances. As this scanning electron micrograph shows, the silver nanoparticles are irregularly shaped and randomly distributed on the surface. Image: HZB Scanning electron micro- graph of a filter sample with microorganisms (MO) and mineral precipitation. Image: M. Kasina/GFZ FUSION RESEARCHERS CONTROL PLASMA FOR RECORD TIME Nuclear fusion reproduces the processes taking place inside the sun. One of the most important questions in developing this technology is how the unstable, difficult-to-control fusion reaction can be sustained for a prolonged period of time. A team led by Jülich fusion researcher Yunfeng Liang has now developed a new method for further con- fining the uncontrolled plasma discharges. Using radio waves, they were able to sustain a high-energy plasma for a record 30 seconds at the experimental fusion reactor EAST in China. The interior of the Chinese tokamak fusion reactor EAST with high-energy plasma (small image). Image: Institute of Plasma Physics/Chinese Academy of Sciences