The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology or Empa (German acronym for "Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt") is an interdisciplinary Swiss research and service institution for applied materials sciences and technology. As part of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Domain ("ETH-Bereich") it is an institution of the Swiss federation. For the longest time since its foundation in 1880, it concentrated on classical materials testing. Since the late 1980s it has developed into a modern research and development institute.
Energy & Green Tech
A group of scientists at Empa has pushed the efficiency of flexible solar cells to a new limit. Independent measurements revealed an efficiency of 21.4 percent when these types of solar cells convert light into electricity. ...
Sep 7, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
Heating and cooling of buildings is a major contributor to CO2 emissions in all industrialized countries. To achieve the Swiss government's climate targets—net zero by 2050—Switzerland's building stock must thus also ...
Aug 24, 2021
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Automotive
Traditionally, passenger cars are classified by experts in each country into categories such as micro, small, middle, upper middle, large and luxury class. But this old fashioned method has limitations in terms of compatibility. ...
Jul 20, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
Modern, decentralized energy systems are a highly complex matter. Planning them in an optimal and cost-efficient way is a major challenge for energy planners. Sympheny, an Empa spin-off, offers a software that helps planners ...
Jul 2, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
During the winter months, renewable energy is in short supply throughout Europe. An international project is now considering an unconventional solution: Renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide are pumped into the ground together, ...
Jun 23, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
Mobility analyses show: Only a small proportion of all vehicles are responsible for the majority of the kilometers driven. We are talking above all about long-distance trucks that transport goods all over Europe. If these ...
Jun 8, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
Due to climate change, the average global temperature will rise in the coming decades. This should also significantly increase the number of so-called cooling degree days. These measure the number of hours above a certain ...
May 19, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
The Earth has its limits, as the climate crisis demonstrates. With the increasing extinction of species and the littering of the oceans (and even space) as a result of human activity, governments and institutions the world ...
May 12, 2021
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Robotics
The five meter-long Lexus RX-450h leads a rather contemplative life at Empa. It never takes long trips. Instead, the SUV dutifully makes its rounds on a special track just 180 meters long in a secluded backyard of the Empa ...
Apr 27, 2021
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Energy & Green Tech
The fact that electricity not only provides the luminous displays of our numerous gadgets, but also enables healthy, clean living spaces or even access to education in large parts of the world is easily forgotten in our highly ...
Apr 1, 2021
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