As I was writing this Editorial, I just could not get Bob Dylan and his near prophetic pronouncements out of my mind. “Come gather ’round, people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin’ And you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’”(1) COVID-19

Figure 1. (A) Record efficiency of solar cells of different materials against their bandgap, in comparison to the SQ limit (top solid line). (B) Current density relative to the maximum possible current density, under standardized AM1.5 illumination conditions, versus minimum dark recombination current density relative to the recombination current derived for the record cells in panel A. The open symbols

Views expressed in this Energy Focus are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS. The authors declare no competing financial interest. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.

The growing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration exceeded 415 ppm in 2019 from 280 ppm before the industrial revolution because of anthropogenic activities and has become one of the most pressing issues associated with climate change.(1) To meet the Paris Agreement objectives to keep global warming below 2 °C, carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and/or reduction of CO2 emission of at least

After this paper was published ASAP on August 24, 2020, changes were made to the Acknowledgments. The corrected version was published August 25, 2020. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have sky-rocketed in recent years because of their high-performance, now at a certified 25.2%, as well as readily available fabrication methods and material components. They are now considered one of the main contenders

A common experience for researchers in experimental laboratories focused on energy production, generation, or consumption is performing repetitive functions. This could be the synthesis of a library of materials with variation in composition or processing conditions, or the analysis of system performance under varied environmental conditions. In some cases, for example, charging and discharging of

Figure 1. Schematic illustration of interfacial electron and hole transfer processes in CsPbBr3 nanoplatelets. Reprinted from ref 7. Copyright 2019 American Chemical Society. Figure 2. Schematic showing photoassisted proton reduction with halide perovskite photocathodes. Reprinted from ref 18. Copyright 2019 American Chemical Society. Solar-Driven Metal Halide Perovskite Photocatalysis: Design, Stability

Views expressed in this Energy Focus are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the ACS. The authors declare no competing financial interest. This article references 9 other publications.

The timing mismatch between the supply and demand for solar electricity will require energy storage,(1) for which conversion to a storable chemical fuel is one option. Beyond that, sectors such as marine navigation, aviation, etc. may still need liquid fuels, exported from the solar facility. These might also serve as one input into a future renewable chemicals industry. Dihydrogen is hard to store;(2)

Shell’s gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology converts natural gas into high-quality liquid products that would otherwise be made from crude oil. These products include transportation fuels (such as aviation fuel and diesel), motor oils, process oils, and the ingredients for everyday necessities like detergents and cosmetics.(1) GTL products are colorless, odorless, and contain almost none of the impurities

A counter electrode (CE), also known as auxiliary electrode, completes a conventional three-electrode system’s electrochemical circuit by allowing current to flow through. Note that the CE does the same function in two-electrode cells as well. Platinum (Pt) is the most widely used CE material because of its excellent electrocatalytic activity, high electrical conductivity, and mechanical robustness