Volume 8 Issue 8, August 2023

Kathrin Goldammer describes the founding and aims of Women in Green Hydrogen, a global network that seeks to increase the visibility and amplify the voices of women working in the sector.

Australia’s newly announced national Net Zero Authority offers an opportunity to constructively engage coal communities in planning for a decarbonized future. After years of toxic and dysfunctional climate politics, it is essential that the Authority engages with the complexity of coal and the communities at the heart of transition.

The cost of solar photovoltaics has declined over the past two decades, but the driving mechanisms are not fully understood. Now, researchers examine the role of hardware and non-hardware features in cost reduction of photovoltaics and develop a model that could be used to understand cost reductions for other energy technologies.

Solvation structure engineering in electrolytes enhances the cyclability of lithium-metal anodes, but it also results in compromised ionic conductance and subsequently poor rate capability. Now, a high-entropy electrolyte is designed to improve ionic conductivity while maintaining cyclability.

Silicon heterojunction solar cells represent a promising photovoltaic approach, yet low short-circuit currents limit their power conversion efficiency. New research shows an efficiency record of 26.81% driven by lower resistance loss and higher current by replacing the conventional front and rear amorphous doped-silicon layers with nanocrystalline layers.

The products of high rate, selective and stable electrochemical CO₂ reduction are often restricted to molecules containing one or two carbon atoms, limiting market potential. Now, a catalyst with ionomer-coated surface-modified nanoparticles enables stable CO₂ conversion to a three-carbon product with 90% Faradaic efficiency at high reaction rates.

Low-income solar adopters are more likely to refer others to a fully subsidized solar programme when referral rewards are combined with an appeal to reciprocity and a simplified referral process, leading to five times as many solar contracts as when referral rewards are used alone. The findings highlight behavioural science strategies that administrators of low-income energy assistance programmes can use to cost-effectively accelerate programme uptake.

Improvements in the power conversion efficiency of silicon heterojunction solar cells would consolidate their potential for commercialization. Now, Lin et al. demonstrate 26.81% efficiency devices using a p-doped nanocrystalline silicon and low-sheet-resistance transparent conductive oxide contact layer.

Si anodes could be an alternative to Li anodes in the application of solid-state batteries, but they suffer from issues such as severe volume expansion and sluggish kinetics. Here the researchers develop a Li–Si alloy anode that is stabilized by hard carbon, which leads to exceptional high-performance solid-state batteries.

Electrolyte engineering has proven an effective approach to enhance the performance of lithium metal batteries. Here the authors propose a strategy by using multiple solvents in weakly solvating electrolytes—dubbed as high-entropy electrolytes—to improve the ionic conductivity while maintaining electrochemical stability, leading to high-performance batteries.

Hardware and non-hardware features affect the cost of technologies but evolve in different ways over time. Klemun et al. build a model to account for such evolution and analyse the case of photovoltaics.

The efficiency and stability of methylammonium- and bromide-free perovskite inverted solar cells need improvement. Now, Chen et al. combine a Lewis-based additive with a fluorocarbon-modified ammonium salt to reduce defects in the perovskite, increasing the device performance.

Peer referral behaviour may impact uptake of subsidized energy assistance programmes. A new study finds that simplifying the referral process and appealing to reciprocity may increase solar contracts for qualifying low-income households in California.

Hydrogen evolution and oxidation on platinum surfaces are central reactions in electrochemical devices. Sun et al. show that they can be promoted by introduction of the organic molecules, N-methylimidazoles, and explore the underlying phenomena at play through in situ spectroscopy and computation.

Energy demand patterns will shift under climate change, but so will generated electricity, particularly as the wind and solar power supply increases. Here the authors model the impacts of climate change on future supply–demand match, highlighting the importance of changes in climate variability.

The energy transition in China may lead to increased heating bills. A new study finds that cleaner alternatives to address gaps in heating may disproportionately increase residential heating costs, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas.

Few non-copper catalysts have been observed to produce appreciable amounts of propane—a useful fuel—by electrochemical reduction of CO₂. New research shows that ionomer-coated imidazolium-functionalized Mo₃P nanoparticles produce propane with high activity and selectivity.