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Nature energy

Volume 6 Issue 9, September 2021

Electrifying membrane synthesis

Membranes based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) could offer an energy-efficient way of separating chemical mixtures, but it can be difficult to prepare the high-quality MOF films that are needed. Zhou et al. use an electrochemical method to fabricate high-performance defect-free MOF membranes (cross section pictured) for the separation of hydrocarbons.

SeeZhou et al. andNews and Views by Nair

Image: Sheng Zhou, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Cover Design: Thomas Phillips.

Comment & Opinion

Comment | 07 September 2021

Energy multinationals challenged by the growth of human rights

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.

• Raphael J. Heffron

News & Views

News & Views | 13 September 2021

Inequality built into the grid

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.

• Antonio Moreno-Munoz

News & Views | 02 August 2021

Iron flies higher

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.

• Michael P. Marshak

News & Views | 23 August 2021

Widening the safety net

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.

• Sefa Awaworyi Churchill
• Russell Smyth

News & Views | 23 August 2021

Get tougher

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.

• Efrain Ochoa-Martinez
• Jovana V. Milić

News & Views | 23 August 2021

Improving the crystal ball

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.

• Gregory F. Nemet

News & Views | 13 September 2021

Peer behaviour boosts recycling

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.

• Rong Deng
• Nathan Chang
• Martin Green

News & Views | 06 September 2021

Electrons to membranes

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.

• Sankar Nair

Reviews

Perspective | 21 September 2021

Calendar aging of silicon-containing batteries

Silicon-containing batteries are increasingly becoming a reality in the mass market, but their calendar aging behaviours have received comparatively little attention. Researchers from the Silicon Consortium Project discuss the issues surrounding the calendar lifetime of silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

• Josefine D. McBrayer
• Marco-Tulio F. Rodrigues
• Brian Cunningham

Research

Article | 02 August 2021

Symmetry-breaking design of an organic iron complex catholyte for a long cyclability aqueous organic redox flow battery

The development of aqueous organic redox flow batteries suffers from the limited availability of high-performance catholytes. Here the authors design a metal organic complex catholyte material with a tunable redox potential, which offers promise for high-energy long-lasting flow batteries.

• Xiang Li
• Peiyuan Gao
• Yu Zhu

Article | 09 August 2021

Electrochemical synthesis of continuous metal–organic framework membranes for separation of hydrocarbons

Metal–organic framework membranes may be able to separate mixtures of hydrocarbons in an energy-efficient manner, but high-quality robust membranes are difficult to prepare. Here, Zhou et al. fabricate high-performance continuous metal–organic framework membranes using an electrochemical method.

• Sheng Zhou
• Osama Shekhah
• Mohamed Eddaoudi

Article | 13 September 2021

Inequitable access to distributed energy resources due to grid infrastructure limits in California

There are racial and wealth disparities in the adoption of distributed solar energy, although the potential for infrastructure limits to exacerbate these disparities is not well understood. Brockway et al. estimate the potential impact of grid infrastructure limitations on the adoption of distributed energy resources by demographic groups in California.

• Anna M. Brockway
• Jennifer Conde
• Duncan Callaway

Article | 20 September 2021

Nickel ferrocyanide as a high-performance urea oxidation electrocatalyst

Urea oxidation could be a lower-energy alternative to water oxidation in hydrogen-producing electrolysers, but improved catalysts are required to facilitate the reaction. Geng et al. report nickel ferrocyanide as a promising catalyst and suggest that it operates via a different pathway to that of previous materials.

• Shi-Kui Geng
• Yao Zheng
• Shi-Zhang Qiao

Analysis | 13 September 2021 | Open Access

Role of the social factors in success of solar photovoltaic reuse and recycle programmes

Techno-economic studies of photovoltaic solar cells recycling and reuse often do not take into account the impact of social factors. Walzberg et al. use an agent-based model to estimate the quantitative impact of behavioural choices on photovoltaic recycling efficacy.

• Julien Walzberg
• Alberta Carpenter
• Garvin A. Heath

Analysis | 26 July 2021

A multi-country meta-analysis on the role of behavioural change in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in residential buildings

Behavioural interventions can reduce energy consumption and hence carbon emissions among households. Khanna et al. compare the effectiveness of different types of monetary and non-monetary household interventions using a machine learning-assisted meta-analysis, and examine the situations where each is most useful.

• Tarun M. Khanna
• Giovanni Baiocchi
• Jan C. Minx

Tales of Invention

Tales of Invention | 21 September 2021

Layered Li–Ni–Mn–Co oxide cathodes

Almost 30 years since the inception of lithium-ion batteries, lithium–nickel–manganese–cobalt oxides are becoming the favoured cathode type in automobile batteries. Their success lies primarily with their superior energy density relative to lithium–cobalt oxide, lithium–manganese oxide and lithium–iron phosphate electrodes.

• Michael M. Thackeray
• Khalil Amine

Amendments & Corrections

Author Correction | 05 May 2021

Author Correction: Gas diffusion electrodes: Taking carbon dioxide without a grain of salt

• Klaas Jan P. Schouten

Publisher Correction | 11 May 2021

Publisher Correction: Electrolysis of low-grade and saline surface water

• Wenming Tong
• Mark Forster
• Pau Farràs

Publisher Correction | 25 June 2021

Publisher Correction: Marking the decarbonization revolutions

• Ryan Hanna
• David G. Victor