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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.
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.
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.
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.