The Heinrich Hertz Prize is an award from the EnBW Foundation, which is presented together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

The EUR 10,000 prize is named after the physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) and is usually awarded every three years for outstanding scientific or technical achievements in the field of generation, distribution and use of electrical energy.

History

The Heinrich Hertz Prize was awarded for the first time in 1975 on the occasion of the 150th birthday of the University of Karlsruhe (TH), the predecessor institution of the KIT. The famous German physicist Heinrich Hertz, who gave his name to the prize, worked here as a professor when he was able to prove the long-distance effect of electromagnetic oscillations in a long series of tests in 1887-88 - the basis for radio, telecommunications and television.

Current Prize Winners

Two scientists were jointly awarded the Heinrich Hertz Prize in 2018: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Moser (RWTH Aachen) for his outstanding achievements in the field of energy management and his revolutionary pioneering thinking in the creation of new network structures for future energy supply - Kopernikus ENSURE, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Schulenberg (KIT) in recognition of his life's work - in particular his pioneering work in setting up programs to increase the efficiency and environmental friendliness of gas turbines and combined cycle power plants.