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22 febrero In Agenda, Portafolio energía by Coordinación Editorial

Nature Energy February 2021

Volume 6 Issue 2, February 2021

Volume 6 Issue 2

NET result

Direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 is a promising negative emissions technology (NET) that could help to achieve climate targets. However, the energy and materials demands of DAC need to be better understood. Based on industrial data, Deutz and Bardow evaluate the environmental impacts of two DAC plants operated by Climeworks using life-cycle assessment.

See Deutz and Bardow.

Image: Climeworks AG Cover Design: Thomas Phillips.

Editorial

Editorial | 19 February 2021

The milestones in rechargeable lithium-ion battery development have been widely reported but the first-hand accounts from inventors have often not been. We aim to bring their personal stories to wider attention with a new article series.

Comment & Opinion

Comment | 30 November 2020

Energy research works with units and concepts forged in an age of fossil fuel, leading to problem formulations that reinforce current societal practices and patterns of consumption. Achieving low-carbon energy goals depends on shifting demand to match supply and reconceptualizing interactions between time and energy.

  • Elizabeth Shove

News & Views

News & Views | 22 January 2021

Energy scenarios project future possibilities based on a variety of assumptions, yet do not fully account for inherent friction in the energy transition, particularly over the near term. A new study shows how machine learning can complement existing scenario tools by incorporating lessons from the past into projections for the future.

  • David L. McCollum

Reviews

Review Article | 28 January 2021

Tremendous research progress has been made in the development of post-lithium-ion batteries (PLIBs), yet there is little discussion on the manufacturing of these upcoming technologies. In this Review, the authors survey the current production status of several representative PLIBs and offer an industrial-scale manufacturing outlook.

  • Fabian Duffner
  • Niklas Kronemeyer
  • Richard Schmuch

Research

Article | 04 January 2021

The perception of risks imminent to younger technologies may hinder renewable energy firms’ access to financing. Here, Kempa et al. have used a global dataset of loans to show that the cost of debt of renewable energy firms decreased over time below those of non-renewable energy firms, which saw an increase in financing costs.

  • Karol Kempa
  • Ulf Moslener
  • Oliver Schenker

Article | 04 January 2021

Feedback loops in consumer behaviour can accelerate desirable phenomena and be used to create effective policy. Kaufmann et al. identify a critical green feedback loop by using Massachusetts data to show bidirectional causality among solar photovoltaic cost, adoption and electric vehicle sales.

  • Robert. K. Kaufmann
  • Derek Newberry
  • Sucharita Gopal

Article | 04 January 2021

The development of nuclear fusion reactors requires detailed nuclear analyses to ensure they run safely and effectively. These are currently typically done using partial models. Juarez et al. now present a complete 360° model of the ITER tokamak, which allows for more realistic and complete modelling of the system.

  • R. Juarez
  • G. Pedroche
  • J. Sanz

Article | 11 January 2021

Energy scenarios can sometimes miss lock-in caused by planned power plant projects and uncertainty around their realization. Here, Alova et al. build a machine-learning model that predicts Africa’s electricity generation mix in 2030 based on the commissioning chances of planned projects.

  • Galina Alova
  • Philipp A. Trotter
  • Alex Money

Article | 11 January 2021

Bifacial solar cells can outperform monofacial cells by exploiting sunlight reflected off the ground surface. De Bastiani et al. show that bifacial perovskite/silicon tandem with an optimized bandgap can deliver a power density of 26 mW cm–2 and compare its performance to monofacial cells under outdoor conditions.

  • Michele De Bastiani
  • Alessandro J. Mirabelli
  • Stefaan De Wolf

Article | 18 January 2021

Ternary layered oxides dominate the current automobile batteries but suffer from material scarcity and operational safety. Here the authors report that, when operating at around 60 °C, a low-cost lithium iron phosphate-based battery exhibits ultra-safe, fast rechargeable and long-lasting properties.

  • Xiao-Guang Yang
  • Teng Liu
  • Chao-Yang Wang

Article | 18 January 2021

The inability of a household to meet basic energy needs is associated with adverse health consequences. This study finds that the COVID-19 pandemic increased the prevalence of energy insecurity, and may have widened pre-existing racial disparities in the likelihood of being energy insecure.

  • Trevor Memmott
  • Sanya Carley
  • David M. Konisky

Article | 08 February 2021

Silicon heterojunction solar cells are expected to increase their market share in the near future. Qu et al. identify an embedded nanotwin structure at the crystalline silicon/hydrogenated amorphous silicon interface of silicon heterojunction cells that limits the device performance and devise an approach to suppress its formation.

  • Xianlin Qu
  • Yongcai He
  • Kun Zheng

Article | 04 February 2021

Direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 has garnered interest as a negative emissions technology to help achieve climate targets, but indirect emissions and other environmental impacts must be better understood. Here, Deutz and Bardow perform a life-cycle assessment of DAC plants operated by Climeworks, based on industrial data.

  • Sarah Deutz
  • André Bardow

Tales of Invention

Tales of Invention | 19 February 2021

  • M. Stanley Whittingham

Amendments & Corrections

Author Correction | 01 February 2021

  • Leah Stokes

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