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Nature Energy Octuber 2020

Volume 5 Issue 10, October 2020

Polymer collector passes current

Current collectors are needed to support electrodes and collect electrical energy from them in Li-ion batteries, however they do not contribute to the battery’s energy output. Cui et al. report a polymer-based current collector that not only makes batteries store more energy, but is safer than conventional current collectors.

See Cui et al.

Image: Yusheng Ye, Stanford University. Cover Design: Thomas Phillips.

Editorial

Editorial | 15 October 2020

Energy innovation needs better targets

The renewal of Mission Innovation is important — but more targeted interventions are needed to deliver on necessary energy-innovation goals.

Comment & Opinion

Comment | 08 September 2020

Mission Innovation is mission critical

The Paris Agreement’s Mission Innovation initiative to accelerate government spending on clean energy research is currently succeeding in its quest to support carbon mitigation. It should be renewed for an additional five years, with increased ambition, and changed to better integrate the private sector.

• Zdenka Myslikova
•  & Kelly Sims Gallagher

Advertisement Feature

A request for ideas on how humans thrive

A conversation with Andrew Serazin, president of the Templeton World Charity Foundation

News & Views

News & Views | 09 September 2020

Changing geography of clean tech

The landscape of the global clean energy industry is transforming, with many technology-following firms in developing countries rapidly catching up to — and potentially poised to overtake — leaders in the developed world. New analysis reveals a clearer picture of this changing geography of clean energy value chains over time.

• Stine Haakonsson

News & Views | 21 September 2020

Oases in the valley of death

Government programmes such as the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) are designed to help cleantech companies overcome startup challenges and bring innovations to market. New analysis shows that support from ARPA-E has led to higher patenting rates but success in winning follow-up funding remains unclear.

• David M. Hart

News & Views | 15 October 2020

Lighter and safer

Current collectors are essential components in lithium-ion batteries, but are typically made of metal foils that do not contribute to the battery capacity. Now, a fire-extinguishing lightweight polymer-based current collector is developed that enhances both the energy density and safety of the battery.

• Leif Nyholm

Policy Brief

Policy Brief | 14 September 2020

Startups supported by ARPA-E were more innovative than others but an investment gap may remain

Startups funded by the US Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy filed patents at twice the rate of similar cleantech firms. The high-risk high-reward funding model has succeeded in advancing energy technology, but more is needed to help these innovative firms cross the valley of death and bring new cleantech products to market.

• Anna Goldstein
• Claudia Doblinger
•  & Laura Díaz Anadón

Reviews

Perspective | 14 August 2020

Realizing high zinc reversibility in rechargeable batteries

Zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) provide a promising alternative to lithium metal batteries but share the formidable challenges in reversibility. The authors discuss the key performance metrics of ZMBs and propose a protocol to assess the true reversibility of zinc metal anodes.

• Lin Ma
• Marshall A. Schroeder
•  & Kang Xu

Research

Article | 17 August 2020

Benefits and costs of a utility-ownership business model for residential rooftop solar photovoltaics

Utility ownership of rooftop solar can potentially align utility financial interests with solar photovoltaic uptake, but the economic implications are not well understood. Now, G. Barbose and A. Satchwell evaluate the potential benefits of this model for utility shareholders and customers and show viability.

• Galen Barbose
•  & Andrew J. Satchwell

Article | 07 September 2020

Ambient-pressure and low-temperature upgrading of lignin bio-oil to hydrocarbons using a hydrogen buffer catalytic system

Bio-oil derived from biomass has great potential as a more sustainable fuel but its formation typically relies on energy-intensive processes. Liu et al. show how a tri-phase hydrogen-transfer catalytic system can drive hydrodeoxygenation in water under mild conditions to achieve up to 90% hydrocarbon yield.

• Wei Liu
• Wenqin You
•  & Yulin Deng

Article | 15 October 2020

Low-bandgap mixed tin–lead iodide perovskites with reduced methylammonium for simultaneous enhancement of solar cell efficiency and stability

Low-bandgap tin–lead perovskites are key to all-perovskite tandem solar cells but simultaneous improvement in efficiency and stability has proven challenging. Now, Li et al. fabricate tin–lead perovskite cells with reduced methylammonium content that are 20.4% efficient and stable under illumination for 450 h.

• Chongwen Li
• Zhaoning Song
•  & Yanfa Yan

Article | 21 September 2020

First-cycle voltage hysteresis in Li-rich 3d cathodes associated with molecular O2 trapped in the bulk

Understanding the severe voltage hysteresis in the first cycle of Li-rich cathodes is essential to realize their full potential in batteries. P. G. Bruce and colleagues report the formation of molecular O2 on charging rather than other oxidized O species is the cause for the voltage hysteresis.

• Robert A. House
• Gregory J. Rees
•  & Peter G. Bruce

Article | 15 October 2020

Ultralight and fire-extinguishing current collectors for high-energy and high-safety lithium-ion batteries

Batteries need to be energy-dense as well as safe. Yi Cui and team develop an ultralight polyimide-based current collector with embedded fire retardants that enables lithium-ion batteries with much-enhanced safety and energy density.

• Yusheng Ye
• Lien-Yang Chou
•  & Yi Cui

Analysis | 03 August 2020

Impacts of climate change on energy systems in global and regional scenarios

Climate change may affect energy systems by altering energy consumption patterns and production potential, with varying levels of impact across regions. This review synthesizes key findings of climate impact studies in regional and global scenarios and sets the stage for future multi-model assessments to support energy planning.

• Seleshi G. Yalew
• Michelle T. H. van Vliet
•  & Detlef P. van Vuuren

Analysis | 14 September 2020

Patenting and business outcomes for cleantech startups funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy aims to fund high-risk high-reward clean energy technology in the United States, but evaluating its impact is difficult. Goldstein et al. compare startups that won Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy funding to other cleantech startups, and find that Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy awardees tend to gain more patents but that more is needed to help them overcome the valley of death.

• Anna Goldstein
• Claudia Doblinger
•  & Laura Díaz Anadón

Analysis | 31 August 2020

Effects of technology complexity on the emergence and evolution of wind industry manufacturing locations along global value chains

Clean energy technology manufacturing relies on global value chains, yet the patterns of these chains are poorly understood, obscuring the underlying drivers. Surana et al. analyse data on wind power global value chains to assess how technology complexity shapes the location of suppliers and evolves over time.

• Kavita Surana
• Claudia Doblinger
•  & Nathan Hultman

Amendments & Corrections

Publisher Correction | 30 July 2020

Publisher Correction: Current status and future directions of multivalent metal-ion batteries

• Yanliang Liang
• Hui Dong
•  & Yan Yao

Publisher Correction | 29 July 2020

Publisher Correction: Exploiting intervalley scattering to harness hot carriers in III–V solar cells

• Hamidreza Esmaielpour
• Kyle R. Dorman
•  & Ian R. Sellers