| 1. |
- Chen, Haiyang, et al.
(författare)
-
A guest-assisted molecular-organization approach for >17% efficiency organic solar cells using environmentally friendly solvents
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2058-7546. ; 6:11, s. 1045-1053
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of laboratory-sized organic solar cells (OSCs), usually processed from low-boiling-point and toxic solvents, have reached high values of over 18%. However, there is usually a notable drop of the PCEs when green solvents are used, limiting practical development of OSCs. Herein, we obtain certificated PCEs over 17% in OSCs processed from a green solvent paraxylene (PX) by a guest-assisted assembly strategy, where a third component (guest) is employed to manipulate the molecular interaction of the binary blend. In addition, the high-boiling-point green solvent PX also enables us to deposit a uniform large-area module (36 cm(2)) with a high efficiency of over 14%. The strong molecular interaction between the host and guest molecules also enhances the operational stability of the devices. Our guest-assisted assembly strategy provides a unique approach to develop large-area and high-efficiency OSCs processed from green solvents, paving the way for industrial development of OSCs. Organic solar cells processed from green solvents are easier to implement in manufacturing yet their efficiency is low. Chen et al. devise a guest molecule to improve the molecular packing, enabling devices with over 17% efficiency.
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| 2. |
- Chen, Xian-Kai, et al.
(författare)
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A unified description of non-radiative voltage losses in organic solar cells
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 6:8, s. 799-806
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors have enabled high efficiencies yet their charge dynamics and its impact on the photovoltaic parameters are not fully understood. Now, Chen et al. provide a general description of non-radiative voltage losses in both fullerene and non-fullerene solar cells. Recent advances in organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) come with reduced non-radiative voltage losses (Delta V-nr). Here we show that, in contrast to the energy-gap-law dependence observed in conventional donor:fullerene blends, the Delta V-nr 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 interfaces. By combining temperature-dependent electroluminescence experiments and dynamic vibronic simulations, we provide a unified description of Delta V-nr for both fullerene- and NFA-based devices. We highlight the critical role that the thermal population of local exciton states plays in low-Delta V-nr systems. An important finding is that the photoluminescence yield of the pristine materials defines the lower limit of Delta V-nr. We also demonstrate that the reduction in Delta V-nr (for example, <0.2 V) can be obtained without sacrificing charge generation efficiency. Our work suggests designing donor and acceptor materials with high luminescence efficiency and complementary optical absorption bands extending into the near-infrared region.
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| 3. |
- Cherp, Aleh, et al.
(författare)
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National growth dynamics of wind and solar power compared to the growth required for global climate targets
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 6:7, s. 742-754
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 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 of 0.6–1.1%) of the total electricity supply for onshore wind and 0.6% (0.4–0.9%) for solar. In comparison, one-half of 1.5 °C-compatible scenarios envision global growth of wind power above 1.3% and of solar power above 1.4%, while one-quarter of these scenarios envision global growth of solar above 3.3% per year. Replicating or exceeding the fastest national growth globally may be challenging because, so far, countries that introduced wind and solar power later have not achieved higher maximum growth rates, despite their generally speedier progression through the technology adoption cycle.
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| 4. |
- Crispin, Xavier
(författare)
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Carbon nanotubes get high
- 2016
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Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 1
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Waste heat can be converted to electricity by thermoelectric generators, but their development is hindered by the lack of cheap materials with good thermoelectric properties. Now, carbon-nanotube-based materials are shown to have improved properties when purified to contain only semiconducting species and then doped.
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| 5. |
- Cui, Yong, et al.
(författare)
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Wide-gap non-fullerene acceptor enabling high-performance organic photovoltaic cells for indoor applications
- 2019
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Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 4:9, s. 768-775
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic photovoltaic cells are potential candidates to drive low power consumption off-grid electronics for indoor applications. However, their power conversion efficiency is still limited by relatively large losses in the open-circuit voltage and a non-optimal absorption spectrum for indoor illumination. Here, we carefully designed a non-fullerene acceptor named IO-4CI and blend it with a polymer donor named PBDB-TF to obtain a photoactive layer whose absorption spectrum matches that of indoor light sources. The photovoltaic characterizations reveal a low energy loss below 0.60 eV. As a result, the organic photovoltaic cell (1 cm(2)) shows a power conversion efficiency of 26.1% with an open-circuit voltage of 1.10 V under a light-emitting diode illumination of 1,000 lux (2,700 K). We also fabricated a large-area cell (4 cm(2)) through the blade-coating method. Our cell shows an excellent stability, maintaining its initial photovoltaic performance under continuous illumination of the indoor light source for 1,000 hours.
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| 6. |
- Dekker, Mark M., et al.
(författare)
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Identifying energy model fingerprints in mitigation scenarios
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 8:12, s. 1395-1404
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy models are used to study emissions mitigation pathways, such as those compatible with the Paris Agreement goals. These models vary in structure, objectives, parameterization and level of detail, yielding differences in the computed energy and climate policy scenarios. To study model differences, diagnostic indicators are common practice in many academic fields, for example, in the physical climate sciences. However, they have not yet been applied systematically in mitigation literature, beyond addressing individual model dimensions. Here we address this gap by quantifying energy model typology along five dimensions: responsiveness, mitigation strategies, energy supply, energy demand and mitigation costs and effort, each expressed through several diagnostic indicators. The framework is applied to a diagnostic experiment with eight energy models in which we explore ten scenarios focusing on Europe. Comparing indicators to the ensemble yields comprehensive ‘energy model fingerprints’, which describe systematic model behaviour and contextualize model differences for future multi-model comparison studies.
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| 7. |
- Diaz-Morales, Oscar
(författare)
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Impurity as a virtue
- 2020
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Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 5:3, s. 193-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Understanding the activity and stability of oxygen-evolving anodes is crucial for developing better water splitting electrolysers. Researchers now show the importance of interactions between iron and hydr(oxy)oxide hosts in dynamically-stable electrocatalysts that balance dissolution and deposition of iron present in the electrolyte.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Edoff, Marika, 1965-
(författare)
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Using both sides of the panel
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 8:1, s. 15-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Bifaciality allows the harvest of sunlight from both sides of a solar cell and thereby increases power output, but the efficiency of thin-film devices lags behind that of silicon counterparts. Now, researchers demonstrate a bifacial Cu(In,Ga)Se2-perovskite tandem solar cell with a 28 mW/cm2 power output under front and rear illumination.
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| 10. |
- Edvinsson, Tomas, Professor, 1970-
(författare)
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A concentrated effort
- 2019
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Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 4:5, s. 354-355
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- While recent gains in the efficiency of photoelectrochemical devices for hydrogen production are encouraging, high efficiency is rarely combined with high power output, which is important for large-scale viability. Towards this goal, researchers now demonstrate a promising thermally integrated device driven by concentrated solar irradiation.
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| 11. |
- Feng, Dawei, et al.
(författare)
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Robust and conductive two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally high volumetric and areal capacitance
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 3:1, s. 30-36
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For miniaturized capacitive energy storage, volumetric and areal capacitances are more important metrics than gravimetric ones because of the constraints imposed by device volume and chip area. Typically used in commercial supercapacitors, porous carbons, although they provide a stable and reliable performance, lack volumetric performance because of their inherently low density and moderate capacitances. Here we report a high-performing electrode based on conductive hexaaminobenzene (HAB)-derived two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In addition to possessing a high packing density and hierarchical porous structure, these MOFs also exhibit excellent chemical stability in both acidic and basic aqueous solutions, which is in sharp contrast to conventional MOFs. Submillimetre-thick pellets of HAB MOFs showed high volumetric capacitances up to 760 F cm(-3) and high areal capacitances over 20 F cm(-2). Furthermore, the HAB MOF electrodes exhibited highly reversible redox behaviours and good cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 90% after 12,000 cycles. These promising results demonstrate the potential of using redox-active conductive MOFs in energy-storage applications.
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| 12. |
- Gars, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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European fuel tax cuts increase Russian oil profits
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 7:10, s. 912-913
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- European fuel tax cuts will lead to significant income transfers to Russia, thus undermining the Union’s sanction efforts against the country. EU politicians should instead consider alternative policies, such as direct income transfers to households, if they want to shield citizens from increased fuel prices without benefiting Russia.
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| 13. |
- Gars, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of European fuel-tax cuts on the oil income of Russia
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 7:10, s. 989-997
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there has been a surge in transport fuel prices. Consequently, many European Union (EU) countries are cutting taxes on petrol and diesel to shield consumers. Using standard theory and empirical estimates, here we assess how such tax cuts influence the oil income in Russia. We find that an EU-wide tax cut of (sic)0.20 l(-1) increases Russia's oil profits by around (sic)8 million per day in the short and long term. This is equivalent to (sic)3,100 million per year, 0.2% of Russia's gross domestic product or 5% of its military spending. We show that a cash transfer to EU citizens-with a fiscal burden equivalent to the tax cut-reduces these side effects to a fraction.
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| 14. |
- Guo, Renjun, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation mechanisms of perovskite solar cells under vacuum and one atmosphere of nitrogen
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 6:10, s. 977-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extensive studies have focused on improving the operational stability of perovskite solar cells, but few have surveyed the fundamental degradation mechanisms. One aspect overlooked in earlier works is the effect of the atmosphere on device performance during operation. Here we investigate the degradation mechanisms of perovskite solar cells operated under vacuum and under a nitrogen atmosphere using synchrotron radiation-based operando grazing-incidence X-ray scattering methods. Unlike the observations described in previous reports, we find that light-induced phase segregation, lattice shrinkage and morphology deformation occur under vacuum. Under nitrogen, only lattice shrinkage appears during the operation of solar cells, resulting in better device stability. The different behaviour under nitrogen is attributed to a larger energy barrier for lattice distortion and phase segregation. Finally, we find that the migration of excessive PbI2 to the interface between the perovskite and the hole transport layer degrades the performance of devices under vacuum or under nitrogen. Understanding degradation mechanisms in perovskite solar cells is key to their development. Now, Guo et al. show a greater degradation of the perovskite structure and morphology for devices operated under vacuum than under nitrogen.
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| 15. |
- Huse, Cristian
(författare)
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Fuel choice and fuel demand elasticities in markets with flex-fuel vehicles
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Nature Research (part of Springer Nature). - 2058-7546 .- 1520-8524. ; 3:7, s. 582-588
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purchase of multifuel vehicles (MFVs) has been incentivized by policies across the globe. Such vehicles are able to operate on more than one source of energy, so they introduce fuel (or energy) choice as one additional dimension consumers decide about. As fuels differ in terms of carbon emissions, this choice has environmental effects. Using 12 years of monthly Swedish data, here I show that the majority of MFV drivers purchase petrol when it is priced at parity with ethanol. Through policy simulations, I document that fossil fuel taxes have limited success in making drivers switch to alternative fuels and can generate economic distortions. The findings question the cost-effectiveness of programmes to incentivize the purchase of MFVs that ignore the fuel choice dimension and highlight the importance of accounting for fuel choice in the analysis of public policy and emerging technologies.
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| 16. |
- Höök, Mikael, Docent, 1982-
(författare)
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Mapping Chinese Supply
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 3:3, s. 166-167
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Documenting the emissions and net energy of a crude supply could be essential to meeting national emission and energy security targets. Using data from hundreds of fields worldwide, a well-to-refinery study presents a high-granularity profile of China’s crude oil supply in terms of emissions and energy return on input.
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| 17. |
- Jacobsson, T. Jesper, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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An open-access database and analysis tool for perovskite solar cells based on the FAIR data principles
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 7:1, s. 107-115
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large datasets are now ubiquitous as technology enables higher-throughput experiments, but rarely can a research field truly benefit from the research data generated due to inconsistent formatting, undocumented storage or improper dissemination. Here we extract all the meaningful device data from peer-reviewed papers on metal-halide perovskite solar cells published so far and make them available in a database. We collect data from over 42,400 photovoltaic devices with up to 100 parameters per device. We then develop open-source and accessible procedures to analyse the data, providing examples of insights that can be gleaned from the analysis of a large dataset. The database, graphics and analysis tools are made available to the community and will continue to evolve as an open-source initiative. This approach of extensively capturing the progress of an entire field, including sorting, interactive exploration and graphical representation of the data, will be applicable to many fields in materials science, engineering and biosciences.
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| 18. |
- Jannasch, Patric
(författare)
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Aligned for renewable power
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 7, s. 302-303
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alkaline membrane fuel cells can operate using nonprecious metals as catalysts, but rely on polymeric membranes with high hydroxide conductivity and alkali-resistance, which are hard to find. A new membrane is now reported comprising ferrocenium cations in magnetically aligned domains with an excellent combination of these properties.
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| 19. |
- Jewell, Jessica, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison and interactions between the long-term pursuit of energy independence and climate policies
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 1:6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ensuring energy security and mitigating climate change are key energy policy priorities. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group III report emphasized that climate policies can deliver energy security as a co-benefit, in large part through reducing energy imports. Here, using five state-of-the-art global energy-economy models and eight long-term scenarios, we show that while deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would indeed reduce energy imports, the reverse is not true: ambitious policies constraining energy imports would have only an insignificant impact on climate change. Restricting imports of all fuels would lower twenty-first-century emissions by only 2%–15% against the Baseline scenario as compared with a 70% reduction in the 450 scenario. Restricting only oil imports would have virtually no impact on emissions. The modelled energy independence targets could be achieved at policy costs comparable to those of existing climate pledges but a fraction of the cost of limiting global warming to 2 ◦ C.
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| 20. |
- Jiang, Kui, et al.
(författare)
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Suppressed recombination loss in organic photovoltaics adopting a planar-mixed heterojunction architecture
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2058-7546. ; 7:11, s. 1076-1086
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At present, high-performance organic photovoltaics mostly adopt a bulk-heterojunction architecture, in which exciton dissociation is facilitated by charge-transfer states formed at numerous donor-acceptor (D-A) heterojunctions. However, the spin character of charge-transfer states originated from recombination of photocarriers allows relaxation to the lowest-energy triplet exciton (T-1) at these heterojunctions, causing photocurrent loss. Here we find that this loss pathway can be alleviated in sequentially processed planar-mixed heterojunction (PMHJ) devices, employing donor and acceptor with intrinsically weaker exciton binding strengths. The reduced D-A intermixing in PMHJ alleviates non-geminate recombination at D-A contacts, limiting the chance of relaxation, thus suppressing T-1 formation without sacrificing exciton dissociation efficiency. This resulted in devices with high power conversion efficiencies of >19%. We elucidate the working mechanisms for PMHJs and discuss the implications for material design, device engineering and photophysics, thus providing a comprehensive grounding for future organic photovoltaics to reach their full promise. Organic solar cells with a bulk-heterojunction architecture suffer from photocurrent loss driven by triplet states. Now, Jiang et al. show that sequentially deposited donor-acceptor planar-mixed heterojunctions suppress triplet formation, enabling efficiencies over 19%.
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| 21. |
- Johansson, Patrik, 1969
(författare)
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Making the invisible visible
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 2:6, s. 17076-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The presence of polysulfides in Li-S batteries significantly affects battery operation, but their presence and reaction mechanisms are not well understood. Now, an operando X-ray diffraction approach is used to directly observe these polysulfides, offering insights on their formation and evolution.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Li, Chao, et al.
(författare)
-
Non-fullerene acceptors with branched side chains and improved molecular packing to exceed 18% efficiency in organic solar cells
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE RESEARCH. - 2058-7546.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Molecular design of acceptor and donor molecules has enabled major progress in organic photovoltaics. Li et al. show that branched alkyl chains in non-fullerene acceptors allow favourable morphology in the active layer, enabling a certified device efficiency of 17.9%. Molecular design of non-fullerene acceptors is of vital importance for high-efficiency organic solar cells. The branched alkyl chain modification is often regarded as a counter-intuitive approach, as it may introduce an undesirable steric hindrance that reduces charge transport in non-fullerene acceptors. Here we show the design and synthesis of a highly efficient non-fullerene acceptor family by substituting the beta position of the thiophene unit on a Y6-based dithienothiophen[3,2-b]-pyrrolobenzothiadiazole core with branched alkyl chains. It was found that such a modification to a different alkyl chain length could completely change the molecular packing behaviour of non-fullerene acceptors, leading to improved structural order and charge transport in thin films. An unprecedented efficiency of 18.32% (certified value of 17.9%) with a fill factor of 81.5% is achieved for single-junction organic solar cells. This work reveals the importance of the branched alkyl chain topology in tuning the molecular packing and blend morphology, which leads to improved organic photovoltaic performance.
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| 24. |
- Li, Daobin, et al.
(författare)
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Atomically dispersed platinum supported on curved carbon supports for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2058-7546. ; 4:6, s. 512-518
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dispersing catalytically active metals as single atoms on supports represents the ultimate in metal utilization efficiency and is increasingly being used as a strategy to design hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. Although platinum (Pt) is highly active for HER, given its high cost it is desirable to find ways to improve performance further while minimizing the Pt loading. Here, we use onion-like nanospheres of carbon (OLC) to anchor stable atomically dispersed Pt to act as a catalyst (Pt-1/OLC) for the HER. In acidic media, the performance of the Pt-1/OLC catalyst (0.27 wt% Pt) in terms of a low overpotential (38 mV at 10 mA cm(-2)) and high turnover frequencies (40.78 H-2 s(-1) at 100 mV) is better than that of a graphene-supported single-atom catalyst with a similar Pt loading, and comparable to a commercial Pt/C catalyst with 20 wt% Pt. First-principle calculations suggest that a tip-enhanced local electric field at the Pt site on the curved support promotes the reaction kinetics for hydrogen evolution.
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| 25. |
- Li, Longxiang, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to unconventional oil and gas development and all-cause mortality in Medicare beneficiaries
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 7:2, s. 177-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little is known about whether exposure to unconventional oil and gas development is associated with higher mortality risks in the elderly and whether related air pollutants are exposure pathways. We studied a cohort of 15,198,496 Medicare beneficiaries (136,215,059 person-years) in all major US unconventional exploration regions from 2001 to 2015. We gathered data from records of more than 2.5 million oil and gas wells. For each beneficiary’s ZIP code of residence and year in the cohort, we calculated a proximity-based and a downwind-based pollutant exposure. We analysed the data using two methods: a Cox proportional hazards model and a difference-in-differences design. We found evidence of a statistically significant higher mortality risk associated with living in proximity to and downwind of unconventional oil and gas wells. Our results suggest that primary air pollutants sourced from unconventional oil and gas exploration can be a major exposure pathway with adverse health effects in the elderly.
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| 26. |
- Liu, Jing, et al.
(författare)
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Fast charge separation in a non-fullerene organic solar cell with a small driving force
- 2016
-
Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast and efficient charge separation is essential to achieve high power conversion efficiency in organic solar cells (OSCs). In state-of-the-art OSCs, this is usually achieved by a significant driving force, defined as the offset between the bandgap (E-gap) of the donor/acceptor materials and the energy of the charge transfer (CT) state (E-CT), which is typically greater than 0.3 eV. The large driving force causes a relatively large voltage loss that hinders performance. Here, we report non-fullerene OSCs that exhibit ultrafast and efficient charge separation despite a negligible driving force, as E-CT is nearly identical to E-gap. Moreover, the small driving force is found to have minimal detrimental effects on charge transfer dynamics of the OSCs. We demonstrate a non-fullerene OSC with 9.5% efficiency and nearly 90% internal quantum efficiency despite a low voltage loss of 0.61V. This creates a path towards highly efficient OSCs with a low voltage loss.
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| 27. |
- Liu, Xiaohan, 1994, et al.
(författare)
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Transforming public transport depots into profitable energy hubs
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - 2058-7546. ; In Press
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transportation is undergoing rapid electrification, with electric buses at the forefront of public transport, especially in China. This transition, however, could strain electricity grids. Using a large-scale dataset with over 200 million global positioning system records from 20,992 buses in Beijing, we explore the technical, economic and environmental implications of transforming public transport depots into renewable energy hubs. Here we show that solar photovoltaic reduces the grid’s net charging load by 23% during electricity generation periods and lowers the net charging peak load by 8.6%. Integrating energy storage amplifies these reductions to 28% and 37.4%, respectively. Whereas unsubsidized solar photovoltaic yields profit 64% above costs, adding battery storage cuts profits to 31% despite offering grid benefits. Negative marginal abatement gains for CO2 emissions underscore the economic sustainability. Our findings provide a model for cities worldwide to accelerate their commitments towards sustainable transport and energy systems.
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| 28. |
- Meckling, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Policy sequencing toward decarbonization
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 2, s. 918-922
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2017 The Publisher Many economists have long held that carbon pricing—either through a carbon tax or cap-and-trade—is the most cost-effective way to decarbonize energy systems, along with subsidies for basic research and development. Meanwhile, green innovation and industrial policies aimed at fostering low-carbon energy technologies have proliferated widely. Most of these predate direct carbon pricing. Low-carbon leaders such as California and the European Union (EU) have followed a distinct policy sequence that helps overcome some of the political challenges facing low-carbon policy by building economic interest groups in support of decarbonization and reducing the cost of technologies required for emissions reductions. However, while politically effective, this policy pathway faces significant challenges to environmental and cost effectiveness, including excess rent capture and lock-in. Here we discuss options for addressing these challenges under political constraints. As countries move toward deeper emissions cuts, combining and sequencing policies will prove critical to avoid environmental, economic, and political dead-ends in decarbonizing energy systems.
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| 29. |
- Michael, Kavya, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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A conceptual analysis of gendered energy care work and epistemic injustice through a case study of Zanzibar’s Solar Mamas
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - 2058-7546. ; 9:8, s. 947-954
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy and climate transitions bear an inherent risk of replicating historically embedded unjust gendered norms in the current energy regimes. Positioning our work within critical feminist scholarship, our study emphasizes the embedded nature of energy technologies within respective socio-economic, institutional and cultural contexts. We use a combined lens of care and epistemic injustice to examine the case study of Solar Mamas in Barefoot College Zanzibar, highlighting the nuanced interplay of power relations in decentralized energy transitions. This approach helps comprehend and value gendered energy care work as involving skilled labour in everyday life. Our findings illustrate the need for energy transitions research, policy and practice to be deeply informed by lived experiences, diverse practices of care within the energy webs and valuing of multiple voices. We argue that interventions prioritizing care and knowledge in decentralized, locally managed energy provisioning have the potential to disrupt established gender relations.
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| 30. |
- Michael, Kavya, 1985
(författare)
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Insights into gendered energy care work and epistemic injustice from Zanzibar's Solar Mamas programme
- 2024
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Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - 2058-7546. ; In Press
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Solar Mamas programme for energy transition in Zanzibar, Tanzania, has been analysed through a combined lens of care and epistemic injustice. The case study illustrates that interventions that centre energy care work and its gendered dimensions in locally led energy-transition initiatives can disrupt established gender norms and produce better project outcomes.
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| 31. |
- Nerini, Francesco Fuso, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping synergies and trade-offs between energy and the Sustainable Development Goals
- 2018
-
Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 3:1, s. 10-15
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development-including 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets-is a global plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. SDG7 calls for action to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Here we characterize synergies and trade-offs between efforts to achieve SDG7 and delivery of the 2030 Agenda as a whole. We identify 113 targets requiring actions to change energy systems, and published evidence of relationships between 143 targets (143 synergies, 65 trade-offs) and efforts to achieve SDG7. Synergies and trade-offs exist in three key domains, where decisions about SDG7 affect humanity's ability to: realize aspirations of greater welfare and well-being; build physical and social infrastructures for sustainable development; and achieve sustainable management of the natural environment. There is an urgent need to better organize, connect and extend this evidence, to help all actors work together to achieve sustainable development.
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| 32. |
- Nielsen, Kristian S., et al.
(författare)
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The role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 6:11, s. 1011-1016
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- People with high socioeconomic status disproportionally affect energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions directly through their consumption and indirectly through their financial and social resources. However, few climate change mitigation initiatives have targeted this population segment, and the potential of such initiatives remains insufficiently researched. In this Perspective, we analyse key characteristics of high-socioeconomic-status people and explore five roles through which they have a disproportionate impact on energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions and potentially on climate change mitigation, namely as consumers, investors, role models, organizational participants and citizens. We examine what is known about their disproportionate impact via consumption and explore their potential influence on greenhouse gas emissions through all five roles. We suggest that future research should focus on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by high-socioeconomic-status people and to align their investments, organizational choices and actions as social and political change agents with climate change mitigation goals.
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| 33. |
- Nyholm, Leif, 1961-
(författare)
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Lighter and safer
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 5:10, s. 739-740
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 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.
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| 34. |
- Olauson, Jon, et al.
(författare)
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Net load variability in Nordic countries with a highly or fully renewable power system
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - 2058-7546. ; 1, s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing the share of intermittent renewable energy (IRE) resources such as solar, wind, wave and tidal energy in a power system poses a challenge in terms of increased net load variability. Fully renewable power systems have previously been analysed, but more systematic analyses are needed that explore the effect of different IRE mixes on system-wide variability across different timescales and the optimal combinations of IRE for reducing variability on a given timescale. Here we investigate these questions for the Nordic power system. We show that the optimal mix of IRE is dependent on the frequency band considered. Long-term (>4 months) and short-term (<2 days) fluctuations can be similar to today’s, even for a fully renewable system. However, fluctuations with periods in between will inevitably increase significantly. This study indicates that, from a variability point of view, a fossil- and nuclear-free Nordic power system is feasible if properly balanced by hydropower.
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| 35. |
- Perera, A. T. D., et al.
(författare)
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Challenges resulting from urban density and climate change for the EU energy transition
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - 2058-7546. ; 8, s. 397-412
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dense urban morphologies further amplify extreme climate events due to the urban heat island phenomenon, rendering cities more vulnerable to extreme climate events. Here we develop a modelling framework using multi-scale climate and energy system models to assess the compound impact of future climate variations and urban densification on renewable energy integration for 18 European cities. We observe a marked change in wind speed and temperature due to the aforementioned compound impact, resulting in a notable increase in both peak and annual energy demand. Therefore, an additional cost of 20-60% will be needed during the energy transition (without technology innovation in building) to guarantee climate resilience. Failure to consider extreme climate events will lower power supply reliability by up to 30%. Energy infrastructure in dense urban areas of southern Europe is more vulnerable to the compound impact, necessitating flexibility improvements at the design phase when improving renewable penetration levels. Understanding the impact of future climate variations and urban densification is key to planning renewable energy integration. By developing a multi-scale spatio-temporal modelling framework, Perera et al. reveal changes in wind speed and temperature across European cities.
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| 36. |
- Perera, A. T. D., et al.
(författare)
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Quantifying the impacts of climate change and extreme climate events on energy systems
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 5, s. 150-159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change will induce not just a change in average temperature but higher frequency of extreme weather events, whose impacts are hard to quantify. Perera et al. quantify the impacts of climate induced extreme and regular weather variations on energy systems determining requirements for system reliability. Climate induced extreme weather events and weather variations will affect both the demand of energy and the resilience of energy supply systems. The specific potential impact of extreme events on energy systems has been difficult to quantify due to the unpredictability of future weather events. Here we develop a stochastic-robust optimization method to consider both low impact variations and extreme events. Applications of the method to 30 cities in Sweden, by considering 13 climate change scenarios, reveal that uncertainties in renewable energy potential and demand can lead to a significant performance gap (up to 34% for grid integration) brought by future climate variations and a drop in power supply reliability (up to 16%) due to extreme weather events. Appropriate quantification of the climate change impacts will ensure robust operation of the energy systems and enable renewable energy penetration above 30% for a majority of the cities.
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| 37. |
- Perros, Tash, et al.
(författare)
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Towards responsible and fair pay-as-you-go energy access in sub-Saharan Africa
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - 2058-7546. ; 9:5, s. 520-525
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Market-based solutions are playing an increasingly important role in advancing the energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Here we focus on pay-as-you-go (PAYG) energy systems, a market-based approach that enables users to pay for energy in small amounts. While acknowledging the benefits of PAYG, we draw attention to six areas of concern about its implementation, including the suitability of PAYG business models to serve lower-income households, data collection and use, and the characteristics of PAYG energy providers and investors. We outline an agenda for inclusive PAYG energy systems in a proactive effort to shape a rapidly evolving sector. We hope that by anticipating these risks, we can help ensure that the PAYG sector is appropriately regulated and that its benefits accrue to the intended beneficiaries.
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| 38. |
- Suo, Jiajia, et al.
(författare)
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Multifunctional sulfonium-based treatment for perovskite solar cells with less than 1% efficiency loss over 4,500-h operational stability tests
- 2024
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2058-7546.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The stabilization of grain boundaries and surfaces of the perovskite layer is critical to extend the durability of perovskite solar cells. Here we introduced a sulfonium-based molecule, dimethylphenethylsulfonium iodide (DMPESI), for the post-deposition treatment of formamidinium lead iodide perovskite films. The treated films show improved stability upon light soaking and remains in the black alpha phase after two years ageing under ambient condition without encapsulation. The DMPESI-treated perovskite solar cells show less than 1% performance loss after more than 4,500 h at maximum power point tracking, yielding a theoretical T80 of over nine years under continuous 1-sun illumination. The solar cells also display less than 5% power conversion efficiency drops under various ageing conditions, including 100 thermal cycles between 25 degrees C and 85 degrees C and an 1,050-h damp heat test. Suo et al. show that sulfonium-based molecules afford formamidinium lead iodide perovskites protection against environmental stress factors, improved phase stability and solar cells retaining efficiency over 4,500-h operational stability tests.
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| 39. |
- Taalbi, Josef, et al.
(författare)
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The role of energy infrastructure in shaping early adoption of electric and gasoline cars
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 6:10, s. 970-976
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electric vehicles have a potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions but still face challenges. This study asks what can be learned from the US automobile history. In 1900, there were three equal contenders in the US automotive industry: gasoline, electric and steam cars. Only a decade later, the gasoline car had achieved a crushing dominance. This dominance is often attributed to techno-economic factors, such as an innate inferiority of electric cars. Meanwhile, the role of the infrastructures is not well understood. This study presents evidence on the mechanisms behind the rise of gasoline vehicles, using a database of more than 36,000 passenger car models. We estimated econometric models to explain the technology choice of car producers, which show that the slow expansion of electricity infrastructure had a key impact. We estimate that a 15 or 20 year earlier diffusion of electricity grids would have tipped the balance in favour of electric vehicles, most notably in metropolitan areas. In the context of the current climate crisis, the results support the notion that large-scale investment in infrastructure is critical to achieve sustainable socio-technological transitions.
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| 40. |
- Wang, Yuming, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanisms for improved open-circuit voltage in ternary organic solar cells
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2058-7546.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The addition of a guest component can improve the open-circuit voltage in ternary organic solar cells. Spectroscopic experiments, combined with quantum chemistry simulations, conducted on a series of ternary organic solar cells provide a guide to further improving the open-circuit voltage, and hence the power conversion efficiency, of these solar cells.
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| 41. |
- Wang, Yuming, et al.
(författare)
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Origins of the open-circuit voltage in ternary organic solar cells and design rules for minimized voltage losses
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2058-7546. ; 8:9, s. 978-988
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The power conversion efficiency of ternary organic solar cells (TOSCs), consisting of one host binary blend and one guest component, remains limited by large voltage losses. The fundamental understanding of the open-circuit voltage (V-OC) in TOSCs is controversial, limiting rational design of the guest component. In this study, we systematically investigate how the guest component affects the radiative and non-radiative related parts of V-OC of a series of TOSCs using the detailed balanced principle. We highlight that the thermal population of charge-transfer and local exciton states provided by the guest binary blend (that is, the guest-component-based binary blend) has a significant influence on the non-radiative voltage losses. Ultimately, we provide two design rules for enhancing the V-OC in TOSCs: high emission yield for the guest binary blend and similar charge-transfer-state energies for host/guest binary blends; high miscibility of the guest component with the low gap component in the host binary blend. The performance of ternary organic solar cells is limited by voltage losses. Using the detailed balance principle, Wang et al. show how the third component of the blend affects the open-circuit voltage and delineate molecular design rules.
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| 42. |
- Yan, Jinyue, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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City-level analysis of subsidy-free solar photovoltaic electricity price, profits and grid parity in China
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2058-7546. ; 4:8, s. 709-717
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, China has become not just a large producer but a major market for solar photovoltaics (PV), increasing interest in solar electricity prices in China. The cost of solar PV electricity generation is affected by many local factors, making it a challenge to understand whether China has reached the threshold at which a grid-connected solar PV system supplies electricity to the end user at the same price as grid-supplied power or the price of desulfurized coal electricity, or even lower. Here, we analyse the net costs and net profits associated with building and operating a distributed solar PV project over its lifetime, taking into consideration total project investments, electricity outputs and trading prices in 344 prefecture-level Chinese cities. We reveal that all of these cities can achieve—without subsidies—solar PV electricity prices lower than grid-supplied prices, and around 22% of the cities’ solar generation electricity prices can compete with desulfurized coal benchmark electricity prices.
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| 43. |
- Zheng, Xiaopeng, et al.
(författare)
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Managing grains and interfaces via ligand anchoring enables 22.3%-efficiency inverted perovskite solar cells
- 2020
-
Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2058-7546. ; 5, s. 131-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Inverted perovskite solar cells have attracted increasing attention because they have achieved long operating lifetimes. However, they have exhibited significantly inferior power conversion efficiencies compared to regular perovskite solar cells. Here we reduce this efficiency gap using a trace amount of surface-anchoring alkylamine ligands (AALs) with different chain lengths as grain and interface modifiers. We show that long-chain AALs added to the precursor solution suppress nonradiative carrier recombination and improve the optoelectronic properties of mixed-cation mixed-halide perovskite films. The resulting AAL surface-modified films exhibit a prominent (100) orientation and lower trap-state density as well as enhanced carrier mobilities and diffusion lengths. These translate into a certified stabilized power conversion efficiency of 22.3% (23.0% power conversion efficiency for lab-measured champion devices). The devices operate for over 1,000 h at the maximum power point under simulated AM1.5 illumination, without loss of efficiency. While perovskite solar cells with an inverted architecture hold great promise for operation stability, their power conversion efficiency lags behind that of conventional cells. Here, Zheng et al. achieve a certified 22.34% efficiency, exploiting alkylamine ligands as grain and interface modifiers.
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| 44. |
- Zhou, Yongjin, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Barriers and opportunities in bio-based production of hydrocarbons
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2058-7546. ; 3:11, s. 925-935
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global climate change caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has caused concerns regarding the continued reliance on fossil fuels as our primary energy source. Hydrocarbons produced from biomass using microbial fermentation processes can serve as high-quality liquid transportation fuels and may contribute to a reduction in GHG emissions. Here, we discuss the barriers and opportunities for bio-based production of hydrocarbons to be used as diesel and jet fuels and review recent advances in engineering microbes for production of these chemicals. There are two main challenges associated with establishing bio-based hydrocarbon production from cheap feedstocks; lowering the cost of developing efficient and robust microbial cell factories and establishing more efficient routes for biomass hydrolysis to sugars for fermentation. We discuss how to develop novel systems and synthetic biology tools that can enable faster and cheaper construction of microbial cell factories and thereby address the first challenge, as well as recent advances in biomass processing that will likely lead to overcoming the second challenge in the near future.
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| 45. |
- Zhou, Zichun, et al.
(författare)
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High-efficiency small-molecule ternary solar cells with a hierarchical morphology enabled by synergizing fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors
- 2018
-
Ingår i: NATURE ENERGY. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2058-7546. ; 3:11, s. 952-959
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using combinatory photoactive blends is a promising approach to achieve high power conversion efficiency in ternary organic photovoltaics. However, the fundamental challenge of how to manipulate the morphology of multiple components and correlate structure details via device performance has not been well addressed. Achieving an ideal morphology that simultaneously enhances charge generation and transport and reduces voltage loss is an imperative avenue to improve device efficiency. Here, we achieve a high power conversion efficiency of 13.20 +/- 0.25% for ternary solar cells by using a combination of small molecules with both fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors, which form a hierarchical morphology consisting of a PCBM transporting highway and an intricate non-fullerene phase-separated pathway network. Carrier generation and transport find an optimized balance, and voltage loss is simultaneously reduced. Such a morphology fully utilizes the individual advantages of both fullerene and non-fullerene acceptors, demonstrating their indispensability in organic photovoltaics.
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