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Front- and back-junction silicon photovoltaics dominate the market thanks to a lower manufacturing complexity compared with that of other device designs yet advances in efficiency remain elusive. Richter et al. now present an optimized design for the front and back junctions that leads to a 26.0%-efficient cell.
The operational stability of formamidinium lead triiodide solar cells varies with the fabrication method of the perovskite layer. Now Park et al. find that isopropylammonium stabilizes the perovskite structure and leads to solar cells with 2,000-h stability under constant illumination.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be hugely beneficial to Ethiopia, but has raised tensions with neighbouring countries that rely on flow from the Blue Nile. Sterl et al. present scenarios for dam operation coupled with solar and wind power generation that could mitigate some of these concerns.
Using metal anodes could in principle boost the energy density of batteries but their electrodeposition often negatively impacts battery performance. Here the authors propose an oxygen-mediated metal–substrate bonding strategy to regulate metal deposition and demonstrate highly reversible Al and Zn anodes.
The development of aqueous redox flow batteries (ARFBs) has been plagued by high material costs and poor operating stability. Here the authors report a membrane design to enable polysulfide-based ARFBs with minimal capacity decay over long cycles and durations as well as competitive cost-effectiveness.
Wind and solar energy must be complemented by a combination of energy storage and firm generating capacity. Here, Sepulveda et al. assess the economic value and system impact of a wide range of possible long-duration energy storage technologies, providing insights to guide innovation and policy.
Charging at high voltages in principle makes batteries energy dense, but this is often achieved at the cost of the cycling stability. Here the authors design a sulfonamide-based electrolyte to enable a Li metal battery with a state-of-the-art cathode at an ultra-high voltage of 4.7 V while maintaining cyclability.
Splitting water using suspensions of particulate carbon nitride-based photocatalysts may be a cheap way to produce hydrogen, but efficiencies have remained low. Now, Shen and colleagues use doped carbon nitride-based Z-scheme heterostructures to split water with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 1.1% in the presence of metal-based co-catalysts.
Batteries keep degrading even when they are not in operation, but their calendar life is rarely studied in advanced batteries that are still in the development stage. Here the authors quantify the calendar ageing of Li metal anodes and report its underlying mechanisms.
A challenge with the use of metal anodes in batteries is their inability to sustain structural stability, especially at high currents. Here the authors examine electrochemomechanical properties of metal anodes and demonstrate an effective semi-solid electrode approach at practically relevant conditions.
Cycling lithium batteries often results in inactive lithium that no longer participates in redox reactions, leading to performance deterioration. Here the authors use an iodic species to react with inactive lithium, bringing it back to life and thus making batteries last longer.
Chilvers et al. present a systemic approach to participation that combines mapping diverse public engagements across a national energy system with a distributed deliberative mapping process involving citizens and specialists, which shows support for more distributed and inclusive energy system futures.
Utility business models are changing to accommodate energy system decarbonization. Here the authors adopt a collaborative business model innovation process to define the business models that utilities are exploring, and then identify consumer segments based on their preferences for these new contracts.
Coating is commonly used to improve electrode performance in batteries, but it is challenging to achieve and maintain complete coverage of electrode particles during cycling. Here the authors present a coating-and-infusion approach on Ni-rich cathodes that effectively retards stress corrosion cracking.
The darker surfaces of water reservoirs absorb more sunlight than ground surfaces, yet how much this reduces the climate benefit of hydroelectricity has not been investigated. Now, Wohlfahrt et al. demonstrate that this albedo penalty may be considerable for certain hydropower reservoirs.
Charging and discharging Li-metal batteries (LMBs) at low temperatures is problematic due to the sluggish charge-transfer process. Here the authors discuss the roles of solvation structures of Li-ions in the charge-transfer kinetics and design an electrolyte to enable low-temperature operations of LMBs.
Surface facets are known to influence the behaviour of photoelectrodes for solar fuel production; however, the role of surface composition, which can vary even for the same facet, is less well understood. Here the authors find that the surface Bi:V ratio is a key factor that affects properties of BiVO4 photoanodes.
Reduction on cobalt reliance is an urgent requirement in the development of sustainable cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. Here the authors analyse the roles of cobalt and its interplay with other ions in high-nickel layered oxides, and deduce a material formula for promising cobalt-free cathodes.
Phase change materials are promising for thermal energy storage yet their practical potential is challenging to assess. Here, using an analogy with batteries, Woods et al. use the thermal rate capability and Ragone plots to evaluate trade-offs in energy storage density and power density in thermal storage devices.
Silicon heterojunction solar cells are expected to increase their market share in the near future. Qu et al. identify an embedded nanotwin structure at the crystalline silicon/hydrogenated amorphous silicon interface of silicon heterojunction cells that limits the device performance and devise an approach to suppress its formation.