Welcome to the June issue of Materials World
A theme running through this issue is how so many vectors pertaining to the energy transition are at a crossroads.
Chair of the IOM3 Energy Transition Group, Tony Palmer FIMMM, presents his perspective on the critical questions that need answering to keep the energy transition on track. He explores five areas – policy and governance, economic accessibility, infrastructure, material security, and science versus reality.
But as his article and others in this issue navigate these areas, it’s clear there’s much debate about what the crucial levers are for each component of the future energy mix.
As global solar capacity must grow from around 0.9TW in 2021 to at least 8.5TW by 2050 to stay on track for net-zero, a new roadmap on photovolatics explores how that would scale affordably while building in sustainable practices and long-term performance. The authors assert, 'the solar industry must mitigate challenges that go far beyond incremental efficiency gains – from improving end-of-life recyclability of legacy components to developing materials that perform in new environments indoors and in outer space. And how do we reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing? What materials do we depend on, and how abundant are they?'
Meanwhile with carbon capture, utilisation and storage and hydrogen, there is much discussion around value for money, infrastructure and prioritising scale-up in locations and sectors where they could have maximum impact. While the issues around needing novel materials and standards are raised to propel wind energy further.
Rupal Mehta, Editor
We hope you enjoy this issue.
