Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Light-driven approaches could lower the carbon footprint of chemical production. Here the authors use the perovskite oxide LaMn1−xCuxO3 as a photocatalyst to convert ethane to ethylene and hydrogen.
Smart temperature-responsive materials could enhance battery thermal safety management; however, current designs lack the necessary responsiveness for both performance and safety. Here the authors demonstrate a material that swiftly transitions from thermal transmission to isolation during thermal runaway in battery modules, thereby ensuring battery safety.
High-temperature operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells has some advantages but is also challenging due to the instability of proton transport above 160 °C. Here the authors report a polymer electrolyte membrane comprising well-dispersed and interconnected cerium hydrogen phosphate particles within a polymer matrix that performs well in a fuel cell at up to 250 °C.
Drawing from data on 11 US states, here the authors find evidence to suggest that community solar and other alternative solar products have the potential to expand solar access among lower-income and renter households.
EU emissions trading system carbon prices have surged since 2017. Here the authors consider sources of this increase and note that increased foresight driven by stronger commitment to climate targets has played a role. Prices also run the risk of dropping if policy credibility is undermined.
A detailed understanding of defects in kesterite solar cells is still lacking. Shi et al. identify a key defect and its formation mechanism and use alloying to suppress it, achieving solar cells with 14.2% certified efficiency.
Increased deployment of electrification through solar power, heat pumps and electric vehicles requires power-network upgrades, but their full impacts are unclear. Few et al. take a local-level approach to examine network upgrade needs, finding large regional variations, and explore how flexibility can minimize impacts.
Elastocaloric cooling, an emerging refrigeration technology, has so far yielded limited performance in devices. Zhou et al. increase the temperature lift of such devices to 75 K by combining three NiTi elastocaloric materials with different phase-transition temperatures.
The US Midwest is a promising region for the production of cellulosic biofuel, yet a greater understanding of the interactions between landscape-related decisions, biorefinery design and carbon capture integration is still needed. O’Neill et al. use fine-scale spatially explicit modelling to analyse the cost and greenhouse gas mitigation potential for such fuels in this region.
Net energy implications of the energy transition have primarily been assessed at the final energy stage to date. New research considers the useful-stage energy return on investment and finds that wind and solar photovoltaics outperform fossil fuels, shedding light on their investment potential.
Interventions prioritizing care and knowledge in locally led energy transition initiatives may contribute to the disruption of established gender norms. A new study on the Solar Mamas programme in Zanzibar supports this idea.
Investment in climate and energy startups is growing in the United States. Here the authors show that public grants back high-risk areas, and that publicly funded startups exit at higher rates with corporate backing than with other private investment.
The European Commission has set a regulatory benchmark for classifying green hydrogen in the European Union. New research finds that by regulating the power purchase for electrolysers, emission savings from green hydrogen production is ensured, but cost is also affected.
The costs of battery and fuel cell systems for zero-emission trucks are primed to decline much faster than expected, boosting prospects for their fast global diffusion and electrification of freight transport, with battery-electric trucks probably leading.
It is challenging to design anti-freezing electrolytes for extremely low-temperature aqueous batteries. This study proposes a general guideline for designing anti-freezing electrolytes by choosing H2O–solute systems with low eutectic temperature and strong super-cooling ability, and demonstrates aqueous Na-ion batteries that can operate at the ultralow temperature of −85 °C.
Lithium battery performance hinges significantly on the solvation structure of the electrolyte and the resulting interphase. Here the authors introduce a fluorinated ether with minimal lithium-ion coordination and enhanced electrochemical stability, thus improving both cyclability and calendar life.
A new study of low-carbon value chains of basic materials (steel and chemicals) demonstrates how regional differences in renewable energy prices may lead to a global relocation of energy-intensive production.
Aqueous batteries, such as iodide/iodate-based ones, confront challenges due to their low energy densities. Here the authors utilize hetero-halogen electrolytes to enable fast multielectron transfer, yielding high-energy-density aqueous batteries.
A new study considers how disruption to energy systems is experienced and takes on meaning. On the basis of workshop data, the study finds that public views of heat decarbonization in the United Kingdom are shaped by relationships to family, cultural expectations, housing and financial position.
Wind farms would benefit from optimization of their design and operation. Harrison-Atlas et al. report an artificial intelligence-aided optimization approach that shows the potential of wake steering strategies to minimize land requirements and costs.