Supplying the growing population with a sustainable source of energy without environmentally harmful waste is the centre of an interdisciplinary and international conference at the University of Oldenburg from 15 to 18 June.
The conference is being organised by Prof. Dr Gunther Wittstock, Professor of Physical Chemistry, and his colleague Prof. Dr Mehtap Özaslan. The participants at the "Electrochemistry in renewable energy based on molecular mechanisms" conference in Bad Zwischenahn will discuss the radical new approaches that electrochemistry can produce in conjunction with molecular reaction mechanisms modelled on nature in order to use and store renewable energy even more efficiently. These new technologies are needed because, although it seems possible to generate the total energy requirements of a highly industrialised economy from wind and solar energy within a generation, this energy does not necessarily occur when it is needed.
The conference is part of the ECHEMS series of conferences, which has been held at various locations since 2006 and which highlights interdisciplinary links between electrochemistry and current topics. The events are organised by an international board of six scientists. The previous ten conferences took place in seven European countries. In Bad Zwischenahn, the Oldenburg organisers are expecting 90 participants from 15 countries.
"Electrochemistry has an internationally recognised tradition at the University of Oldenburg, with a growing focus on research into renewable energies," says host Wittstock. The Oldenburg scientists have achieved a number of international successes in this field, including through collaboration with colleagues from the Fraunhofer Project Group and the affiliated Institute Next Energy on the Wechloy campus.
The upcoming conference is sponsored by the German Research Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony, the Association of Electrochemical Research Institutions and the International Society of Electrochemistry.