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Elastocaloric cooling, an emerging refrigeration technology, has so far yielded limited performance in devices. Zhou et al. increase the temperature lift of such devices to 75 K by combining three NiTi elastocaloric materials with different phase-transition temperatures.

Large scale cellulosic biofuel production involves complex interactions between biomass supply, biorefineries and the networks that connect them. New fine-scale spatially explicit modelling seeks to better understand how these components could best integrate with carbon capture to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and optimize biofuel supply chains.

The US Midwest is a promising region for the production of cellulosic biofuel, yet a greater understanding of the interactions between landscape-related decisions, biorefinery design and carbon capture integration is still needed. O’Neill et al. use fine-scale spatially explicit modelling to analyse the cost and greenhouse gas mitigation potential for such fuels in this region.

Net energy implications of the energy transition have primarily been assessed at the final energy stage to date. New research considers the useful-stage energy return on investment and finds that wind and solar photovoltaics outperform fossil fuels, shedding light on their investment potential.

The solvation structure of an electrolyte and the resulting interphase are crucial for lithium-metal battery performance. Now, an electrochemically inert diluent, designed to selectively interact with electrolyte anions, aids in the formation of an inorganic-rich bilayer interphase, thereby improving cyclability and extending calendar life.

Interventions prioritizing care and knowledge in locally led energy transition initiatives may contribute to the disruption of established gender norms. A new study on the Solar Mamas programme in Zanzibar supports this idea.

Investment in climate and energy startups is growing in the United States. Here the authors show that public grants back high-risk areas, and that publicly funded startups exit at higher rates with corporate backing than with other private investment.

Realizing fast-charging and energy-dense lithium-ion batteries remains a challenge. Now, a porous current collector has been conceptualized that halves the effective lithium-ion diffusion distance and quadruples the diffusion-limited rate capability of batteries to achieve fast charging without compromising the energy density.

The European Commission has set a regulatory benchmark for classifying green hydrogen in the European Union. New research finds that by regulating the power purchase for electrolysers, emission savings from green hydrogen production is ensured, but cost is also affected.

The costs of battery and fuel cell systems for zero-emission trucks are primed to decline much faster than expected, boosting prospects for their fast global diffusion and electrification of freight transport, with battery-electric trucks probably leading.

It is challenging to design anti-freezing electrolytes for extremely low-temperature aqueous batteries. This study proposes a general guideline for designing anti-freezing electrolytes by choosing H₂O–solute systems with low eutectic temperature and strong super-cooling ability, and demonstrates aqueous Na-ion batteries that can operate at the ultralow temperature of −85 °C.

Achieving good electrical contact without damaging underlying layers is critical to the performance of photovoltaic modules. Research now reports a silver electrode embedded into a polymer matrix and a silver/chromium protection layer, enabling over 14%-efficient flexible organic photovoltaic modules with improved stability under illumination.

Ensuring rooftop solar photovoltaics are deployed equitably requires understanding who installs, where, and when. Through assessment of satellite imagery data, research offers a glimpse into solar rooftop photovoltaics deployment inequity in non-residential buildings in the US, revealing challenges and opportunities ahead for a just energy transition.

Lithium battery performance hinges significantly on the solvation structure of the electrolyte and the resulting interphase. Here the authors introduce a fluorinated ether with minimal lithium-ion coordination and enhanced electrochemical stability, thus improving both cyclability and calendar life.

Ultralightweight perovskite solar cells that achieve a specific power of up to 44 W g^–1 and good stability are developed through engineering of the photoactive layer and substrate. These solar cells can be integrated into a drone to enable energy-autonomous flight.