Urea is often present in waste water but can be used in powering fuel cells and as an alternative oxidation substrate to water in an electrolyser. However, an insufficient mechanistic understanding and the lack of efficient catalysts for the urea oxidation reaction have hampered the development of such applications. Here we demonstrate that a nickel ferrocyanide (Ni2Fe(CN)6) catalyst supported on Ni

Adoption of distributed energy resources such as wind and solar can exacerbate energy inequality. A new study shows that inequality in opportunity to adopt renewable energy resources may already be baked into the grid infrastructure design.

The challenge of how to handle large volumes of silicon photovoltaic (PV) panels at the end of their 30-year lifetime is emerging. Now, a new study reveals that the efficacy of recycling and reuse interventions is underestimated if social factors such as the attitude of PV owners and the influence of peers are not considered.

Persistent social disparities in the adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) have prompted calls for enabling more equitable uptake. However, there are indications that limits inherent to grid infrastructure may hinder DER adoption. In this study we analysed grid limits to new DER integration across California’s two largest utility territories. We found that grid limits reduce access to solar

By 2050, the cumulative mass of end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) modules may reach 80 Mt globally. The impacts could be mitigated by module recycling, repair and reuse; however, previous studies of PV circularity omit the consideration of critical social factors. Here we used an agent-based model to integrate social aspects with techno-economic factors, which provides a more realistic assessment of the

Public response to energy projects affects the emergence of new technologies and the distribution of their risks and benefits. Here we use thousands of individually authored comments submitted during a regulatory review of unconventional shale gas development in New York State to reconcile previous, inconsistent results about the relationship between proximity and opposition to energy projects. We

The recent ruling in a Dutch court that Shell must curb its CO2 emissions is the latest in a series of legal moves bringing human rights concerns to bear on energy activities. This trend will have profound consequences for energy developments and for meeting climate goals.

Metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes could lower the energy burden of molecular separations, but are impeded by challenges in fabricating defect-free MOF layers. Now, researchers design an electrochemical approach for growing high-performance MOF membranes on industrially relevant substrates.

Understanding future costs of energy technologies is crucial for making good decisions about the energy transition. A new paper shows that some types of forecasts have done better than others.

Mechanical reliability of perovskite solar cells is an important factor in ensuring their operational stability, yet it remains a critical challenge. Researchers have now demonstrated that interfacial self-assembled monolayers increase adhesion toughness between the perovskite and charge-transport layers, enhancing the device stability.

A growing body of research has sought to provide a better understanding of the determinants of energy poverty and how best to assist vulnerable groups that are at greatest risk of being energy poor. A new study examines how policy reform away from fixed and age-based support helps address energy poverty in Australia.

We must do more to encourage and support interdisciplinary research approaches to energy challenges.

Polyanion oxide cathodes offer better thermal stability and safety than transition-metal oxide cathodes, and their cell voltages are also higher than those of the oxide analogues with the same redox couple. Lithium iron phosphate is the first commercialized polyanion cathode for lithium-ion batteries.

Membrane-based approaches can offer energy-efficient and cost-effective methods for various separation processes. Practical membranes must have high permselectivity at industrially relevant high pressures and under aggressive conditions, and be manufacturable in a scalable and robust fashion. We report a versatile electrochemical directed-assembly strategy to fabricate polycrystalline metal–organic

Anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) potentially allow the use of cheap catalysts due to their alkaline environment, yet often large amounts of precious metals are employed. Now, a non-precious metal-based catalyst, specifically designed for alkaline media, is demonstrated in the cathode of a high-performing AEMFC.

Access to modern energy sources is essential for sustainable development and human well-being. However, a recent study uses a bottom-up model to show how lack of access persists until 2050 under different socioeconomic pathways and decarbonization scenarios.

To reduce the cost of fuel cell stacks and systems, it is important to create commercial catalysts that are free of platinum group metals (PGMs). To do this, such catalysts must have very high activity, but also have the correct microstructure to facilitate the transport of reactants and products. Here, we show a high-performing commercial oxygen reduction catalyst that was specifically developed for

Emission reduction scenarios to meet climate change mitigation policy goals rarely explore the differential impact of alternative pathways on access to energy for different economic strata of society across countries. Here we show that even under optimistic socioeconomic growth scenarios, inequalities in use of modern energy in homes could persist. We find that, although access improves in high growth

Established climate mitigation scenarios assume continued economic growth in all countries, and reconcile this with the Paris targets by betting on speculative technological change. Post-growth approaches may make it easier to achieve rapid mitigation while improving social outcomes, and should be explored by climate modellers.

Electrolyte materials that consist of metals with organic ligands represent a promising direction for flow battery research. Now, an iron complex with the combination of bipyridine and cyanide ligands is demonstrated to have improved voltage and solubility over the commonly used ferrocyanide couple.

The limited availability of a high-performance catholyte has hindered the development of aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFB) for large-scale energy storage. Here we report a symmetry-breaking design of iron complexes with 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-dicarboxylic (Dcbpy) acid and cyanide ligands. By introducing two ligands to the metal centre, the complex compounds (M4[FeII(Dcbpy)2(CN)2], M = Na,

Algorithms determine the effectiveness of battery storage, but have so far been designed for narrow techno-economic objectives with simplified assumptions of user needs. New research considers citizen preferences and develops six battery algorithms that support local economic benefits, decarbonization and explainability.

Voltage losses limit the performance of organic solar cells, yet their origins are not fully understood. Now, a theoretical model encompassing electronic state hybridization and thermal population of vibrational states explains the reduced non-radiative voltage losses in efficient non-fullerene acceptor systems.

Despite the importance of evaluating all mitigation options to inform policy decisions addressing climate change, a comprehensive analysis of household-scale interventions and their emissions reduction potential is missing. Here, we address this gap for interventions aimed at changing individual households’ use of existing equipment, such as monetary incentives or feedback. We have performed a machine

Converting carbon dioxide photocatalytically into fuels using solar energy is an attractive route to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels. Photothermal CO2 catalysis is one approach to achieve this, but improved materials that can more efficiently harvest and use solar energy are needed. Here, we report a supra-photothermal catalyst architecture—inspired by the greenhouse effect—that boosts the

The electrolyte is an indispensable component in any electrochemical device. In Li-ion batteries, the electrolyte development experienced a tortuous pathway closely associated with the evolution of electrode chemistries.

The digital energy era presents at least three systemic concerns to the design and operation of algorithms: bias of considerations towards the easily quantifiable; inhibition of explainability; and undermining of trust and inclusion, as well as energy users’ autonomy and control. Here we examine these tensions through an interdisciplinary study that reveals the diversity of possible algorithms and

Climate mitigation scenarios envision considerable growth of wind and solar power, but scholars disagree on how this growth compares with historical trends. Here we fit growth models to wind and solar trajectories to identify countries in which growth has already stabilized after the initial acceleration. National growth has followed S-curves to reach maximum annual rates of 0.8% (interquartile range

The viability of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction as a pathway for CO2 utilization is contingent on developing selective processes towards high-value carbon-based chemicals. New work demonstrates a strategy to expand the possible products to carbonate esters by sequential redox cycles in a single electrochemical cell.

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added products is a promising approach for using CO2. However, the products are limited to reduced forms, such as CO, HCOOH and C2H4. Decreasing the anodic overpotential and designing membrane-separated systems are important determinants of the overall efficiency of the process. In this study we explored the use of redox-neutral reactions in electrochemical

Climate change impacts the production of electricity including power generated from nuclear facilities. New research published in Nature Energy reports an increase in climate-related outages over the past few decades and projects the annual energy loss for the global fleet of nuclear generators decades into the future.

Climate-related changes have already affected operating conditions for different types of energy system, in particular power plants. With more than three decades of data on changing climate, we are now in a position to empirically assess the impact of climate change on power plant operations. Such empirical assessments can provide an additional measure of the resilience of power plants going forward

Despite intensive research in the development of lithium-metal batteries, combining high energy density and long cycle life is still a great challenge. Now, a deeper understanding of the degradation mechanisms at play in realistic cells may pave the way for practical applications of these batteries.

The rechargeable lithium metal battery has attracted wide attention as a next-generation energy storage technology. However, simultaneously achieving high cell-level energy density and long cycle life in realistic batteries is still a great challenge. Here we investigate the degradation mechanisms of Li || LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 pouch cells and present fundamental linkages among Li thickness, electrolyte

The doping of CdTe solar cells with group-V elements can improve long-term stability of the devices yet the open-circuit voltage is limited. Now, a low-temperature and solution-based doping method relying on group-V chloride salts may lead to new paths for efficiency improvement.

CdTe solar cell technology is one of the lowest-cost methods of generating electricity in the solar industry, benefiting from fast CdTe absorber deposition, CdCl2 treatment and Cu doping. However, Cu doping has low photovoltage and issues with instability. Doping group V elements into CdTe is therefore a promising route to address these challenges. Although high-temperature in situ group V doped CdSeTe

Ambitious emission reduction targets from governments and businesses revive hope in a political solution to climate change, but need to be examined rigorously.

Li4Ti5O12 spinel was initially investigated as a cathode material for a rechargeable lithium battery. It was later successfully exploited as an anode by the lithium-ion battery industry to provide safe, high power but low energy density cells relative to those with graphite/carbon anodes.

Electrification of truck fleets has been perceived as costly both in terms of vehicle and charging infrastructure investments. A new study shows that, with the right charging strategy, electrification of a short-haul delivery fleet does not require major investments in the electric grid substations.

Major technological advancements and recent policy support are improving the outlook for heavy-duty truck electrification in the United States. In particular, short-haul operations (≤200 miles (≤322 km)) are prevalent and early candidates for plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) given their short, predictable routes and return-to-base applications, which allows vehicles to recharge when off shift at their

Anode-free lithium metal batteries with liquid electrolytes could become a drop-in solution for making higher energy density and lower cost batteries with existing production facilities. Now, a synergistic approach is brought forward that bolsters the anode-free cells’ limited lithium inventory extending the cells’ cyclability.

Equipped with a fully lithiated cathode with a bare anode current collector, the anode-free lithium cell architecture presents remarkable advantages in terms of both energy density and safety compared with conventional lithium-ion cells. However, it is challenging to realize high Li reversibility, especially considering the limited Li reservoir (typically zero lithium excess) in the cell configuration

Oxygen loss is an elusive phenomenon that accompanies oxygen redox in lithium-rich layered oxides in batteries. Now, multi-length-scale characterization reveals that oxygen originating from the oxide bulk is eventually released after prolonged cycling.

Perovskite solar cells show excellent power conversion efficiencies, long carrier diffusion lengths and low recombination rates. This encourages a view that intragrain defects are electronically benign with little impact on device performance. In this study we varied the methylammonium (MA)/formamidinium (FA) composition in MA1–xFAxPbI3 (x = 0–1), and compared the structure and density of the intragrain

Increasing the energy density of layered oxide battery electrodes is challenging as accessing high states of delithiation often triggers voltage degradation and oxygen release. Here we utilize transmission-based X-ray absorption spectromicroscopy and ptychography on mechanically cross-sectioned Li1.18–xNi0.21Mn0.53Co0.08O2–δ electrodes to quantitatively profile the oxygen deficiency over cycling at

Heterogeneous electrocatalysis is critical to many energy conversion processes. Theoretical and computational approaches are essential to interpret experimental data and provide the mechanistic understanding necessary to design more effective catalysts. However, automated general procedures to build predictive theoretical and computational frameworks are not readily available; specific choices must

Energy and transportation researchers can contribute to the realization of just transitions to low-carbon mobility in cities across the planet by elaborating and enacting broad conceptions of justice that consider distribution, procedure, recognition and knowledge generation.

Recent advances in organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) come with reduced non-radiative voltage losses (ΔVnr). Here we show that, in contrast to the energy-gap-law dependence observed in conventional donor:fullerene blends, the ΔVnr values in state-of-the-art donor:NFA organic solar cells show no correlation with the energies of charge-transfer electronic states at donor:acceptor

The efficiency and stability of perovskite photovoltaic modules lag far behind those of small-area devices. By carefully engineering the composition of the perovskite layer to suppress defect formation, researchers now demonstrate mini-modules that are nearly as efficient as small-area cells with 1,000-hour stability under operation.

Stopping climate change requires revolutionary transformations in industry and agriculture. Ahead of several major climate meetings this year, policymakers struggling to measure progress on climate change should focus less on global emissions, which will be slow to change, and more on technological advances in pioneering niches.

Cost-efficiency and public acceptance are competing objectives for onshore wind locations. The impact of ‘scenicness’ on these two objectives has been difficult to quantify for wind projects. We analyse the link between economic wind resources and beautiful landscapes with over 1.5 million ‘scenicness’ ratings of around 200,000 geotagged photographs from across Great Britain. We find evidence that

For hydrogen to make a greater impact in our energy systems, attention is required on the integration of new catalysts into fuel cells and their needs in emerging applications, such as heavy-duty transport.

LiMn2O4 spinel has a robust structure with a three-dimensional network of channels for fast Li+ conduction. Despite its relatively low electrochemical capacity, LiMn2O4 has found success as a cost-effective and high-power cathode for the Li-ion battery industry.

Ultralow platinum loading and high catalytic performance at the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) level are essential for reducing the cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The past decade has seen substantial progress in developing a variety of highly active platinum-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. However, these high activities are almost exclusively obtained from rotating

Platinum is the archetypal electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction—a key reaction in fuel cells and zinc–air batteries. Although dispersing platinum as single atoms on a support is a promising way to minimize the amount required, catalytic activity and selectivity are often low due to unfavourable O2 adsorption. Here we load platinum onto α-Fe2O3 to construct a highly active and stable catalyst with dispersed

Formamidinium–caesium mixed-cation perovskites have shown better thermal stability than their methylammonium-containing counterparts but they suffer from photoinstability induced by iodide migration and phase segregation. Here we improve their photostability by adding slightly excessive AX (at a molar percentage of 0.25% to Pb2+ ions), where A is formamidinium or caesium and X is iodine. The excessive

Thin (≤20 μm) and free-standing Li metal foils would enable precise prelithiation of anode materials and high-energy-density Li batteries. Existing Li metal foils are too thick (typically 50 to 750 μm) or too mechanically fragile for these applications. Here, we developed a facile and scalable process for the synthesis of an ultrathin (0.5 to 20 μm), free-standing and mechanically robust Li metal foil

Research has studied what makes people adopt electric vehicles since before they were commercially available. Now, a new study examines the next important issue for the future of electrification of personal transportation: what makes electric vehicle owners ditch them.

The performance of electrocatalysts depends on material properties that may differ spatially even within a single particle. Now, a combination of operando microscopy techniques is used to correlate morphology and metal oxidation state with local activity of an oxygen evolution catalyst, which may help to guide future catalyst design.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00845-2.