Resources

Weakly coordinating anions (WCAs) are used throughout chemistry to minimise cation-anion interactions in the solid and solution states. The ability to suppress ion-pairing has important bearings – or impacts on the properties of materials, on single-site catalysis and on ionic conductivity. Fluorinated alkoxy aluminates (containing [Al(ORF)4]− anions) are an attractive class of WCA owing to their high thermodynamic stability, stemming from strong aluminium-oxygen bonds, and the ability to tailor their steric and electronic properties by changing the organic substituents (R). This work explores the structural and electrochemical properties of sodium tetrakis(hexafluoroisopropyloxy)aluminate, Na[Al(hfip)4] ⋅ xDME (hfip=hexafluoroisopropyloxy, OiPrF, DME=1,2-dimethoxyethane, x=3 or 1). When solvated with one DME molecule, Na[Al(hfip)4] ⋅ DME is a room-temperature solvated ionic liquid, with an activation energy of conduction of 0.4 eV. Both Na[Al(hfip)4] ⋅ 3DME and Na[Al(hfip)4] ⋅ DME have been studied as electrolyte salts for sodium-ion batteries, where sodium-ion cycling proceeds but with low capacity retention.

To help ensure a prosperous future on Earth for coming generations, academia and industry need to transform the way they plan and carry out the synthesis of novel materials to make them more environmentally sustainable. In particular, the field of reticular materials, i.e., metal-organic frameworks, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, and covalent organic frameworks, has great potential to outperform other materials and revolutionize various fields of applications. This review highlights several key aspects from the choice of their starting materials, solvents and synthetic methodologies that fall under the umbrella of the Green Chemistry principles, and incorporates a Circular Economy perspective by providing relevant strategies such as reuse, regeneration, or recycling to maximize the value of the Earth’s available resources.

This video provides an overview f what clean cooking is, the different types of clean cooking technologies. It also provides an overview of the chllenges of cooking with unclean and inefficient cooking technologies, including the cost of inaction. It also gives some insights into what the ENACT project is doing to address these challenges

Hard carbons are the most suitable anode materials for practical sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). Despite various studies, there is still significant scope for improvement in the understanding of the (de)sodiation mechanisms. Here, we study Sn incorporation in waste derived commercial and model sucrose derived hard carbons and its effect on the electrochemical performance. Sn incorporation leads to improved first cycle coulombic efficiency and capacity, specifically increase in the plateau capacity. An improvement from 220 mAh/g to 285 mAh/g and 325 mAh/g is respectively obtained for 7 % and 15 % Sn in hard carbon-Sn composites (HC/Sn). Sn incorporation in both hard carbons has been shown to improve the electrochemical performance, notably achieving a synergy with capacities in excess of that expected from simple addition. For example, 7 % Sn additions tend to increase capacity by 25 %, twice that predicted from simple addition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies show that the number of graphene layers in nano-graphitic domains is reduced after Sn incorporation with no change in interlayer spacing. Full cells with commercial benchmark cathodes are also presented along with cost analysis of the Sn doping routes in this study to demonstrate the commercial viability of the strategy.

Study on Powering Livelihoods, a $3m initiative designed to mainstream clean energy-based solutions in India’s rural economy, providing capital, technical and sectoral growth support to help social enterprises deploy clean energy-based livelihood solutions in a gender-inclusive manner.

The ENACT Project, funded by the UK Government’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Carbon Trust, is implemented by ICLEI Africa in partnership with Energy4Impact (E4I) as part of the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) programme. This project aims to enhance energy security in urban Africa, focusing on the urban poor living in informal settlements by introducing market-led interventions for improved energy access. The project targets Kampala, Uganda, and Freetown, Sierra Leone, with the latter’s Susan’s Bay being the focal point for this feasibility study on access to clean cooking solutions. Susan’s Bay, a deprived slum in Freetown, faces a growing gap in access to modern cooking energy services due to population growth, necessitating this assessment.

ILEM-Africa, one of the three service providers and a partner in this project, is tasked with the technical assessment. Unlike the private sector companies, ILEM-Africa’s role includes evaluating current cooking cultures and suggesting transitional solutions. ILEM is an Africa-centric think tank that offers technical assistance in policy formulation, programming, and capacity building. Their work in the energy space, particularly in sustainable clean cooking solutions, is highlighted on their website, www.ilem-africa.org.

The feasibility study conducted by PayGas, as part of the Enabling African Cities for Transformative Energy Access (ENACT) project, explores the viability of introducing affordable cooking gas solutions in Susan’s Bay, Freetown, Sierra Leone. PayGas is a French-South African startup that has innovated the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through a patented, cashless micro-refilling station system. This system allows customers to purchase cooking gas in small, affordable increments using cashless payments or airtime vouchers.

Insights and learnings from S4S’s work in the renewable energy space to support women entrepreneurs convert farm losses to food ingredients via solar dryers, currently processing 25,000 tonnes of food annually and realising a GHG emission saving of around 68,750 tonnes.

This innovation insight published by CrossBoundary, delves into capex per connection cost outcome when proactively installing a distribution network through Grid Densification in a mini-grid community.

The iron-based polyanionic fluoro-oxalate material, KFe(C2O4)F (KFCF), has been synthesized by hydrothermal methods. This compound shows promising reversible lithium and sodium insertion properties as a cathode material. The material delivered a first-cycle discharge capacity of 120 mAh g−1 at ∼3.3 V (Li+/Li) and 97.4 mAh g−1 at ∼3.0 V (Na+/Na) in LIB and NIB, respectively. Stable cycling performance was observed in both cases. The involvement of reversible Fe2+/Fe3+ redox was confirmed by ex-situ Mössbauer spectroscopy supported by first-principles calculations. This study reveals promising performance from a mixed oxalate-fluoride based polyanionic material thereby opening up further possibilities for materials discovery in the design of new electrode materials.

Article showcasing the participation of the University of Port Harcourt (a TEA-LP partner University) in the 2023 Efficiency for Access Design Challenge. The University of Port Harcourt had two participating teams from their Masters in MSc in Energy Access and Renewable Energy Technology.

Analysis to understand if and how electric pressure cookers (EPCs) could help to reduce the burden on women in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, freeing up their time to pursue more fruitful activities in order that they might achieve their full potential.

Sodium ion batteries represent a sustainable alternative to Li-ion technologies. Challenges with material properties remain, however, particularly with regards the performance of anodes. We report a rapid, energy-efficient ionic liquid synthesis method for mixed phase Na2Ti3O7 and Na2Ti6O13 rods. This method is based on a novel phase-transfer route which produces pure functional materials via a dehydrated IL. The structure of the synthesised materials was characterised using powder X-ray diffraction, which confirms the formation of a mixed Na2Ti3O7 and Na2Ti6O13 phase, with majority Na2Ti3O7 phase, in contrast to previous synthesis methods. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals a rod morphology, with an average diameter and length of 87 nm ± 3 nm and 1.37 μm ± 0.07 μm, respectively. The initial discharge and charge capacity of Na2Ti3O7 nanorods were measured as 325.20 mA h g−1 and 149.07 mA h g−1, respectively, at 10 mA g−1 between 0.01–2.5 V. We attribute the enhanced performance to the higher weight fraction of Na2Ti3O7 phase vs. previous reports, demonstrating the potential of the ionic liquid method when applied to sodium titanate materials.

Research to test the feasibility of second-life battery packs in larger standalone productive use and mini-grid settings.

The off-grid solar industry has shown tremendous resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a significant dip in sales in 2020, sales grew to a record 9.53 million units sold in 2022.

Sodium-ion batteries have attracted widespread interest due to the potential for providing safe and cheap energy storage. However, large scale use of sodium-ion batteries is limited by insufficient performance from positive electrode materials, while also avoiding the use of expensive and toxic elements. Here, we present a bi-phasic sodium layered oxide material, O3/P2-Na0.75Mn0.35Fe0.35Ti0.1Al0.1Cu0.1O2, free of Li, Ni, and Co, which delivered high energy densities up to 420 Wh kg−1, discharge potential of 3.03 V, and high capacity retention of 80 % over 70 cycles in half cells (292 Wh kg−1 in full cells). Crucially, the high Na content is sufficient to provide high energy densities in full cell format. The intergrown nature of the material was confirmed by TEM and SAED analysis, while ex-situ XRD studies revealed the two phases undergo complementary c-parameter evolution, reducing overall volume change. These results demonstrate the potential for future commercialisation of bi-phasic materials utilizing only Earth abundant elements.

An overview of the scholarship as well as an info pack for the mentorship scheme the programme will feature. The Chevening TEA Scholarship is a programme under the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform designed to support a selected number of Chevening Scholars to study an energy-related Master’s degree in the UK. 

Article showcasing TEA-Learning Partnership student embarking on her career.

These reports published by CLASP (Efficiency for Access) evaluate the cold chain technology markets in Kenya and Nigeria. Both reports identify current trends, barriers, and opportunities for market transformation, as well as strategies to accelerate the adoption of cold chain technologies for fresh food value chains at scale.

This article discusses the crucial role of energy access in economic development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the impact onincreased use of renewable energy for productive uses (PUE)

The Humanitarian Energy Outlook 2023 underscores the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions to address the growing crises of displacement, climate change, and inequality.