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A new study assesses global small-scale nuclear power reactor deployment suitability, finding that reactors in the 1–50 MWe range could serve 70.9% of the population living in regions without night-time light. However, governance and economic issues eliminate 95% of the potential market.
Organic solar modules suffer from poor electrical contacts. Lu et al. embed the silver electrode into a polymer matrix and add chromium to enhance its electrical contact, achieving improved stability and a 14.04% efficiency on flexible modules with an active area of 41 cm2.
The activation barriers of interfacial energy conversion reactions are key to controlling the efficiency of electrolysers. Work on the structural dynamics of water during charge transfer at electrified solid/liquid interfaces now brings greater understanding of the components of the activation barriers for water dissociation and hydrogen evolution.
Demonstration of high performance, upscaling and integration of ultra-lightweight perovskite solar cells are still rare. Hailegnaw et al. develop 2D perovskite solar cells based on methylbenzyl ammonium iodide with improved specific power and stability, showing scalability and integration in drones.
A new study finds that strategically integrating floating solar panels on reservoirs could substitute 20–100% of Africa’s planned hydropower by 2050. For the Zambezi watercourse, this approach generates a more stable electricity supply compared with hydro-dominated development.
Global climate models are challenging to integrate in energy system models because their output data resolution is too coarse. Buster et al. generate high-resolution meteorological data with climate change impacts from global climate model datasets using generative machine learning.
One of the major challenges in realizing lithium (Li)-metal batteries is the instability of Li metal in the electrolyte. Now, a study unveils the significant role of lithium oxide in protecting Li metal, thereby contributing to stable battery operation.
Pay-as-you-go energy systems are a promising market-based approach to paying for energy in small amounts in sub-Saharan Africa; however, implementation and the suitability of current business models show room for improvement. This Perspective outlines an agenda for more inclusive PAYG systems.
Electrolyte design strategies for lithium batteries rely on tailoring the composition of lithium–electrolyte interphases. Here lithium oxide is shown to be a key component of these interphases, making oxygenation an effective approach to achieve high efficiency.
Capacity is often used to evaluate and monitor battery state and health. Now, lithium inventory transactions can be accurately tracked at the electrode–electrolyte interface to improve battery performance and reliability.
Wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells suffer from phase segregation. Zhang et al. show that thiocyanate ions overcome the issue by occupying iodide vacancies while regulating crystallization, enabling perovskite/organic tandem cells with 25.06% efficiency.
Wide band gap perovskite solar cells suffer from halide segregation, which hampers their use in tandem solar cells. Now, researchers develop an additive with redox and defect passivating capabilities to suppress halide migration, enabling perovskite–organic tandems with over 25% efficiency.
Understating degradation pathways is critical to the development of perovskite photovoltaics. Thiesbrummel et al. show that internal electric field screening induced by ion migration is a dominant contributor to the operational performance loss of perovskite solar cells.
A new study from Moritz Wussow and colleagues assesses solar deployment equity across residential and non-residential sectors and discusses pathways for policy action to promote non-residential solar in disadvantaged communities.
Using a hybrid fixture, application of an appropriate external pressure on Li-metal pouch cells with a liquid electrolyte considerably reduces cell swelling. Mapping of the pressure distribution across the cell surface provides insight into the electroplating process that could inform strategies to overcome uneven Li plating on the Li-metal surface.