Christoph Ellert

Christoph Ellert is a Full Professor at HES-SO Valais-Wallis, part of the School of Engineering and Technology and IT Department. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Freiburg (1995), followed by postdoctoral research at the National Research Council Ottawa (Canada) and CEA Grenoble/Paris (France). His expertise spans plasma technology, photovoltaics, and renewable energy systems.

Research Focus: Ellert leads projects on plasma-enhanced thin film deposition, DC microgrids for renewable energy integration, green hydrogen production, and plasma-based food decontamination. Key innovations include a novel DC microgrid with predictive energy management, plasma reactors for solar thermal applications, and cold plasma systems for sterilizing food powders.

Projects:

• Developed a semi-autonomous DC-microgrid with 700V bus, integrating PV, battery storage, and electrolysis (2017-2019)
• Launched a plasma-based food powder sterilization system (2014-2015)
• Pioneered PECVD methods for hematite thin films (2014-2015)
• Advanced electrolyzer design for industrial scaling (2022)

Lab Infrastructure: Ellert oversees facilities at HES-SO Valais-Wallis including a plasma deposition lab, DC microgrid testbed, and biogas upgrading demonstrator. Collaborates with academia (EPFL, HEIA-FR) and industry partners (Oerlikon Solar, Studer Innotec).