Energy and Environmental Science at ESRF

The rapid overexploitation of natural resources for energy use, climate change and environmental degradation are one of the major threats for societies around the globe. Here we discuss the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility instruments tailored specifically for energy and environmental research in order to tackle these major challenges. Several scientific examples, complementing the overview of recent technical developments at ESRF beamlines, are discussed in length as they are particularly interesting for researchers from the above mentioned scientific fields. The upgrade to a 4 th generation extremely brilliant synchrotron source brings new opportunities for the synchrotron users to characterize materials for energy applications in operando conditions or environmental processes in situ. These key experimental approaches of modern science will greatly benefit due to the increase in photon flux, ultimate focus and increased coherence at high photon energies.