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For the second time, after 2011, Prof. Johann W. Kolar has received the Golden Owl Award, which is awarded by the student association VSETH. The award honours lecturers providing exceptional teaching and motivates them to continue this way. Our congratulations!  

The team Swissloop, formed by 40 ETH students, achieved the remarkable 3rd place in 2017-finals of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. In order to provide a scientific foundation and further improvements of a magnetically levitated “Hyperloop” vehicle (pod), a research project has been conducted at the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory.

The Center for Security Studies (CSS) has just published a CSS Policy Analysis on the political and security effects of recent changes in the global oil market. Two trends seem to dominate the debate: The emergence of “peak demand” and an apparent investment gap in the oil sector.

A new rechargeable aluminum chloride-graphite battery was designed using processed natural graphite flakes in its cathode. The major performance metrics – energy density (up to 62 Wh kg^-1), power density (500-1000 W kg^-1), energy efficiency (90%) and long cycling life (>5000 cycles without capacity loss) – are ideal for grid-level stationary energy storage.

Unlike the EU’s 2020 energy strategy, in its 2030 energy strategy, the EU seeks to achieve a target of 45% renewable-generated electricity with no binding national targets for each member state. This leaves opens the question of what is the optimal allocation of new renewable installations across Europe?