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Phototrophic bacteria could be used for chemical manufacturing from various carbon sources. This Review discusses the pathways, engineering and potential application of solar chemical biosynthesis.
Battery storage systems with high energy density, safety, cost-effectiveness and wide operating temperatures are needed for smart grid integration. High-energy lithium-ion systems, quasi-solid-state configurations and sodium-ion batteries were among the main strategies pursued in 2025 to achieve that goal.
Rapid expansion of renewables has thus far mostly covered fast-growing energy demand rather than displacing fossil fuels. New demand drivers such as data centres and cooling could reverse declining demand trends from 2024–2025 without further effort.
In 2025, water electrolysis for green hydrogen production continued to progress towards gigawatt-scale deployment worldwide, whereas CO₂ electrolysis for carbon-based fuels and chemicals synthesis saw advances at the cell and catalyst levels and moved towards pilot-scale demonstrations. Although at different stages of technical readiness, the two fields share common future challenges.
Despite uncertainly around climate-focused policy, the policy outlook for clean-energy technologies remained resilient in 2025, owing to the cost-competitiveness of key technologies combined with emerging priorities relating to energy security, data centres, defence and economic opportunities.
Perovskite photovoltaics entered a transformative phase in 2025, characterized by the widespread transition from n–i–p to p–i–n architectures, rapid progress in tandem device integration and improvements in long-term operational stability. These advances collectively highlight the maturation of perovskite solar cells towards commercial viability and industrial scalability.
In 2025, enhanced geothermal systems advanced from demonstration to commercial-scale deployment, supported by continued improvements in drilling and well performance. New pilots exceeding 330 °C enabled breakthroughs towards accessing superheated or supercritical resources, an important frontier for geothermal power generation.
The importance of renewable integration into grids came to the forefront in 2025. New challenges in stability, storage, artificial intelligence demand and policy changes defined a year that tested whether power systems can become reliable, flexible and equitable in a net-zero world.
Biodegradable plastics could help reduce plastic waste pollution, but their role in the global plastic industry and environmental impacts remains unclear. This Perspective evaluates their contribution to plastic waste accumulation, greenhouse gas emissions, aquatic ecotoxicity, cumulative energy demand and water footprint through 2050.
Electrified thermal energy storage converts electricity into heat for thermal energy use. This Review assesses available and emerging technologies, identifying research needs for scalable, long-duration and efficient deployment.
Recycled aggregate concrete could be used in place of natural aggregate concrete, reducing the need to mine aggregate and the generation of concrete waste. This Review describes the production, use and challenges associated with using this recycled material.
Anode-free lithium-metal and lithium–sulfur batteries offer high energy density and simplified manufacturing, but drawbacks such as lithium loss and interfacial instability limit their viability as next-generation energy storage systems. This Review examines failure mechanisms and strategies to improve performance as well as scalability challenges.
Solar fuel technologies share common working principles of light absorption and charge separation, yet their operating conditions can vary greatly. This Perspective examines key performance metrics and outlines a transversal vision of how these technologies could help to accelerate each other development.
Thermal treatment approaches can remediate solids contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), but are energy-intensive and create products of incomplete destruction. This Review discusses these approaches and the use of additives to lower reaction temperatures and drive complete destruction of PFAS.
The large-scale deployment of photovoltaics could create new raw material demands and has the potential to create large end-of-life waste management issues in the future. This Review explores methods for device design and recycling to allow the photovoltaic industry to meet expanding energy demands while keeping within planetary bounds.
Building heating and cooling energy demands can be reduced through thermal energy storage. This Review details the economic, environmental and social aspects of the technology.
Steel manufacturing is a hard-to-abate source of up to 9% of anthropogenic CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions each year. This Review discusses ways of reducing carbon emissions through increased use of scrap, alternative fuel sources and emerging ironmaking technologies
Electric trucks and/or liquid fuels such as biodiesel and e-diesel could enable reductions of heavy-duty vehicle emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This Review discusses the feasibility, costs and decarbonization potential of these technologies and approaches.
Public responses are critical in renewable energy project planning and siting. This Review examines these responses and describes the need for effective and meaningful public engagement.
