Energy-intensive research in Adlershof should continue
In times of the energy crisis, the world’s largest particle accelerator at Cern in Geneva has to save electricity. Is that also an option for an energy-intensive facility at the Helmholtz Center in Berlin?
Despite the high energy consumption, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is planning uninterrupted operation of the Bessy II X-ray source this winter. The research on this is “the basis for the secure, sustainable energy supply of the future and must therefore continue,” said an HZB spokeswoman when asked by dpa. “Of course we will implement official orders.” The electron storage ring in Adlershof, including the associated facilities, therefore requires 30 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, which corresponds to the consumption of around 7,500 four-person households.
According to HZB, Bessy II generates bright light for energy and materials research. The spokeswoman emphasized the important role of the plant, which went into operation in 1998, in the research of new materials and new concepts that should lead to an energy supply without fossil sources. Research priorities are concepts for more efficient solar cells, improved battery materials and new catalysts for the production and processing of green hydrogen. According to HZB, the facility with its focus on soft X-ray radiation is unique in Germany. There are an average of 2,700 visits by guest researchers each year.
Due to long-term supply contracts for the center’s electrical supply, “a moderate increase in electricity costs has so far been recorded for 2022 and 2023,” the research institute explained. One wants to try to partially compensate for this and the higher heat supply costs with energy saving measures. A support package planned by Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger is also rated as helpful. At the beginning of November, the FDP politician announced additional support for energy-intensive research.
According to the HZB, it has set itself the goal of becoming greenhouse gas neutral by 2035. Measures are to be implemented step by step. To name just a few examples: since 2020, the power supply has been completely converted to green electricity. And as a consequence of the energy crisis, applications were made to install photovoltaic modules on the buildings, among other things.
According to HZB, current energy-saving measures are also “determined, implemented and planned” for Bessy II. In the process, knowledge is gained for the planned successor source Bessy III, which is scheduled to go into operation in the early 2030s. “Photovoltaic modules for self-supply of energy as well as efficient operating and acceleration technology are just some of the many aspects that are taken into account in the planning,” said the spokeswoman.
There are a number of other research locations nationwide that are considered to be energy-intensive. In Switzerland, the energy crisis for the world’s largest particle accelerator means: save electricity. That’s why the French electricity provider EDF asked the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. Uptime will be reduced by six weeks, or 20 percent, by the end of 2023. However, the system usage in a full year of operation is also significantly more than Bessy II: as much electricity as the households of a city of 300,000 inhabitants.
(dpa)