In the journal Finance Nataša Zabukovec Logar published an article about a new storage systems for long-term heat storage for a broad non-scientific readership. In this article she described in plain and undemanding way the principles of long-term solar-energy and waste-heat storage. Currently about a half of the total energy generated in the western world is spent for heating and cooling buildings. In attempts to increase the amount of energy that is generated from renewable resources a particular attention had been drawn by a novel and very promising concept of solar-energy and waste-heat storage that exploits reversible physico-chemical sorption of water. When a convenient storage material receives heat, water is desorbed from the material and is stored in a separate vessel. This endothermic process is called activation or charging of the material. When water is released from the vessel to the activated material, due to water adsorption heat is released. This second process is called deactivation or discharging. The basic research of materials for sorption-based heat storage is the topic of our research program. Its applied aspect is covered with our collaboration with the Slovenian company Silkem from Kidričevo, which produces synthetic zeolite. We beleive that, in addition to research and development, the dissemination of new knowledge to the broad public is also very important – even more so if the new knowledge and new technology could be very well exploited in Slovenia, either because new companies for production of the heat storage materials and for developing heat storage systems could be established or because in Slovenia a large number of consumers could be found, who might be interested to use novel environment friendly and cost effective technologies for heating and cooling the buildings.
F.35 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 5141786At SLONANO 2012 Nataša Zabukovec Logar gave an invited lecture entitled Low-temperature heat storage in porous materials: structure-property relationship. SLONANO conferences are a series of annual events covering the topics of new materials, their design and development, understanding of their physical properties and their application. By giving a lecture Nataša Zabukovec Logar presented some results of research within the frame of the Nanoporous materials program to the Slovenian and international audience. The lecture was also an opportunity for promotion of Slovenian science, our research group and our institution.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 5116442Members of the research group gave several lectures at recognized universities and research centres in Europe and USA. Nataša Novak Tušar gave lectures at University of Delaware, USA and at research centre ENSICAEN, Caen, France. Nataša Zabukovec Logar gave lectures at University of Leipzigu, Germany, University of Versailles, france, and at research centre ENSICAEN, Caen, France. Gregor Mali gave lecture at University of Lille, France.
B.06 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 5169946Prof. dr. Venčeslav Kaučič is a member of editorial boards of Microporous and mesoporous materials, International journal of molecular sciences and Acta chimica slovenica.
C.06 Editorial board membership
COBISS.SI-ID: 3340145Since December 1, 2012, Prof. Dr. Venčeslav Kaučič has held the position of Vice-CEO of European Nanoporous Materials Institute of Excellence (ENMIX). The Institute was founded by the Universities of Alicante (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), Delft (The Netherlands), Hannover and Leipzig (Germany), Montpellier (France) and Stuttgart (Germany) and by National Center for Scientific Research »Demokritos«, Athens and Center for Research and Technology, Thessaloniki (Greece), SINTEF, Oslo and Institute for Energy Technology, Kjeller (Norway), CNR, Rome (Italy) and National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana (Slovenia).
D.07 Presiding over a centre/laboratory