Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysers can produce high-purity, high-pressure green hydrogen. One of the most expensive components in a PEM electrolyser stack are the bipolar plates, whose function includes distributing water to the anode and maintaining electrical connectivity between cells. Bipolar plates are often manufactured from titanium due, in part, to its high resistance to corrosion

Lithium-sulfur batteries are among the next-generation electrochemical storage technologies due to their potentially low material cost and high energy density. Typically, they consist of a sulfur-based cathode, a lithium-metal anode, and an organic electrolyte. However, these components face issues such as cathode volume expansion, lithium dendrite formation, and shuttling of dissolved polysulfides

Thermoelectrics based on polymers have potential for near-room-temperature energy generation in flexible and wearable devices. Yet, it is challenging to improve their performance due to thermal and electrical transport trade-offs. In conventional inorganic thermoelectrics, these trade-offs are addressed through multiscale hierarchical engineering of the material structure: such a structure lowers the

POWERful Women is a professional initiative established in 2014 targeting a gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive energy sector in the UK. To mark the tenth anniversary, Katie Jackson — Chair of POWERful Women — talks to Nature Energy about progress so far and the challenges ahead.

Lithium (Li) is crucial for rechargeable batteries and thus sustainable electric power. However, the finite supply of ore-based Li cannot keep pace with the rapidly growing energy demand. Harvesting Li from brines has recently attracted much attention due to their abundant Li reserves. Solar evaporation — leveraging solar energy to concentrate Li through a series of evaporation and precipitation steps

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) can contribute to the decarbonization of the buildings sector. However, existing tools for simulating their energy performance fail to accurately capture the complexity of the environment, design and integration of BIPV, limiting the ability of stakeholders to understand the potential of the technology. Most simulation tools have originally been developed for

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysers promise efficient production of high-purity hydrogen. Moreover, due to their rapid dynamic responsiveness, they are also ideal for coupling to renewable power sources. However, the acidic nature of the reaction environment in a PEM electrolyser causes corrosion in many materials and has limited the choice of catalyst used at the anode (where O2 is

Large datasets are increasingly widespread and valuable to researchers in the energy sector. Nature Energy has a dedicated article format — the Resource article — for their dissemination.

The growing shortage of skilled individuals in the energy sector needs a holistic, interdisciplinary approach, argues Billy Wu.

Investments from those with interest in fossil fuels are well researched in the context of energy transitions. However, how actors across the wider energy sector perceive the role of fossil fuel interests in delaying energy transitions is less understood. Now, Laura Kuhl and colleagues from Northeastern University and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the United States present insights from

The stability of perovskite solar cells under operation is a critical challenging issue, especially under extreme temperatures or temperature variations. Perovskite solar cells have been reported to retain the initial efficiency over just 200–300 thermal cycles between –40 to 85 °C — the standard testing protocol for thermal cycling. The rapid degradation has been largely attributed to mechanical residual

Electrochemically reducing N2 at mild temperatures is an appealing approach to lower the carbon footprint of ammonia synthesis. In particular, synthesis of ammonia via a Li-mediated process, which operates at close-to-ambient temperatures, has been gaining traction in recent years. However, a challenge associated with this method is the relatively negative electrochemical potential required to produce

Capacitors for energy storage based on ceramic dielectrics are commonly used in circuits for noise filtering and voltage stabilization. However, they often have a lower energy density compared to supercapacitors. The energy density of a ceramic capacitor is typically described by two factors: polarization (P), which largely depends on the permittivity (ε) of its dielectric component, and the maximum

The proliferation of large electric vehicles risks undermining the environmental and economic benefits of the green transport transition, argues Christian Brand.