About SolTech

SolTech is an interdisciplinary project initiated by the government of Bavaria to explore innovative concepts for converting solar energy into electricity and non-fossil fuels. SolTech complements research by chemists and physicists at five different Bavarian Universities and is funded with 50 million Euro. 
Humanity will exhaust the earth’s supply of fossil fuels in the foreseeable future. Non-fossil energy sources, such as sunlight, cannot yet replace current fossil and nuclear fuels on a satisfactory level. Chemists and physicists of five Bavarian universities  (Key Laboratories) joined together in the state funded new research network Solar Technologies go Hybrid (SolTech) to synergize their research and explore the full use of sunlight as the principal energy source of our planet. 
The SolTech network covers all fields of research on solar energy use, i.e. the conversion of solar energy to electricity for immediate use and the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy  for storage and future use.

Students benefit from the new network

New research methods and insights into the chemistry and physics of photoactive materials are naturally integrated into teaching. Lectures and courses  covering the forefront of solar technology research enable students to not only learn from the best, but also to do their share for a reliable energy supply as future scientists.

Latest News

27. September 2022

SolTech Student Board Meeting 2022

On September 1st and 2nd, the SolTech Student Board meeting took place in Munich, with this year’s hosting university being the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). The get-together kicked off with a visit to the Campus Grosshadern. The researchers at Prof. Thomas Bein group and Prof. Achim Hartschuh group welcomed the board into their labs, presenting their advances in field of energy conversion and...
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22. March 2022

Research proposal for SolTech3.0 approved

Our research proposal for SolTech3.0 focusing on new pathways to synthetic fuels by exploring sustainable materials and hybrid concepts got approved. The State of Bavaria together with the 5 involved Universities will continue to support our research consortium for the next 5 years.

Latest Press Releases

5. October 2022

Künstliches Enzym spaltet Wasser

Auf dem Weg zur sonnenlichtgetriebenen Produktion von Wasserstoff ist ein Fortschritt gelungen. Ein Team aus der Chemie präsentiert einen enzymähnlichen molekularen Katalysator für die Wasseroxidation. Enzym-ähnliche Wasserorganisation vor einem Ruthenium-Wasseroxidations-Katalysator. (Bild: Team Würthner) Die Menschheit steht vor einer zentralen Herausforderung: Sie muss den Übergang zu einer nachhaltigen und kohlendioxidneutralen Energiewirtschaft bewältigen. Wasserstoff gilt als vielversprechende Alternative zu fossilen Brennstoffen. Er lässt sich unter Einsatz von...
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23. October 2019

Energy Flow in the Nano Range

10/18/2019 It is crucial for photovoltaics and other technical applications how efficiently energy spreads in a small volume. With new methods, the path of energy in the nanometer range can now be followed precisely. Energy transport in biomimetic nanotubes (left) and a three-dimensional spectrum (right). (Image: Björn Kriete (l.) / Stefan Mueller (r.)) Plants and bacteria lead the way: They can capture the energy of...
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2. April 2019

Molecular Lego Blocks

Chemical Data Mining Boosts Search for New Organic Semiconductors 14.02.2019 Organic semiconductors are lightweight, flexible and easy to manufacture. But they often fail to meet expectations regarding efficiency and stability. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are now deploying data mining approaches to identify promising organic compounds for the electronics of the future. First author Christian Kunkel, PD Dr. Harald Oberhofer and Prof....
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Latest Events

22. July 2022

11th SolTech Conference 2022

The 11th SolTech Conference 2022 will take place from October 10 - 13, 2022 at the LMU City Campus in Munich. 1st Announcement Preliminary Program (as of September 29, 2022)

7. May 2021

10th SolTech Conference 2021

The 10th SolTech Conference 2021 will take place as a presence event (3G) from November 8 - 11, 2021 at "Haus der Bayerischen Wirtschaft" in Munich.

1. October 2020

9th SolTech Conference 2020

The ninth international SolTech conference will take place in 2020 as an online conference, due to Corona restrictions. The conference is planned from Monday, 5th October to Thursday, 8th October 2020. On 5th October there will be an online meeting with all the KeyLabs and international guest speakers. On Tuesday, 6th October there will be local programs at each university. On Wednesday, 7th October and...
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