Five thermal energy grand challenges for decarbonization

feature-image

Play all audios:

Loading...

Roughly 90% of the world’s energy use today involves generation or manipulation of heat over a wide range of temperatures. Here, we note five key applications of research in thermal energy


that could help make significant progress towards mitigating climate change at the necessary scale and urgency. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of


subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value


online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles $119.00 per year only $9.92 per issue


Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL


ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * Ziegler, M. S. et al. _Joule_ 3, 2134–2153 (2019). Article  Google


Scholar  * Albertus, P., Manser, J. S. & Litzelman, S. _Joule_ 4, 21–32 (2020). Article  Google Scholar  * _Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2009_ (US


Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, 2011). * _IPCC Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report_ (eds Core Writing Team, Pachauri, R. K. & Meyer L. A.) (IPCC, 2014). * Laughlin,


R. B. _J. Renew. Sustain. Energy_ 9, 044103 (2017). Article  Google Scholar  * Amy, C., Seyf, H. R., Steiner, M. A., Friedman, D. J. & Henry, A. _Energy Environ. Sci._ 12, 334–343


(2019). Article  Google Scholar  * Amy, C. et al. _Nature_ 550, 199–203 (2017). Article  Google Scholar  * Gur, I., Sawyer, K. & Prasher, R. _Science_ 335, 1454–1455 (2012). Article 


Google Scholar  * Heier, J., Bales, C. & Martin, V. _Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev_ 42, 1305–1325 (2015). Article  Google Scholar  * _Nat. Energy_ 1, 16193 (2016). * Li, B. et al. _Nature_


567, 506–510 (2019). Article  Google Scholar  * Allanore, A., Yin, L. & Sadoway, D. R. _Nature_ 497, 353–356 (2013). Article  Google Scholar  * Abánades, A. et al. _Int. J. Hydrogen


Energy_ 41, 8159–8167 (2016). Article  Google Scholar  * Gabriel, P. in _Hydrogen Science and Engineering : Materials, Processes, Systems and Technology_ (eds Stolten, D. & Emonts, B.)


1011–1032 (2016). * _Advanced Manufacturing Office Multi-Year Program Plan For Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2021 Draft_ (US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable


Energy, 2016). * Upham, D. C. et al. _Science_ 358, 917–921 (2017). Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar  * Velders, G. J. M., Fahey, D. W., Daniel, J. S., McFarland, M. & Andersen, S. O.


_Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA_ 106, 10949–10954 (2009). Article  Google Scholar  * Claridge., D. E. et al. _Int. J. Refrig._ 101, 211–217 (2019). Article  Google Scholar  * Ranson, M.,


Morris, L. & Kats-Rubin, A. _Climate Change and Space Heating Energy Demand: A Review of The Literature_ (US EPA, 2014). * Henry, A. & Chen, G. _Phys. Rev. Lett._ 101, 235502 (2008).


Article  Google Scholar  * Dunn, R., Lovegrove, K. & Burgess, G. _Proc. IEEE_ 100, 391–400 (2011). Article  Google Scholar  * Yu, P., Jain, A. & Prasher, R. S. _Nanoscale Microscale


Thermophys. Eng._ 23, 235–246 (2019). Article  Google Scholar  * Wehmeyer, G., Yabuki, T., Monachon, C., Wu, J. & Dames, C. _Appl. Phys. Rev._ 4, 041304 (2017). Article  Google Scholar


  * Menyhart, K. & Krarti, M. _Build. Environ._ 114, 203–218 (2017). Article  Google Scholar  * Sood, A. et al. An electrochemical thermal transistor. _Nat. Commun._ 9, 4510 (2018).


Article  Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA


Asegun Henry * Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA Ravi Prasher * Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA Ravi Prasher *


Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford, CA, USA Arun Majumdar * Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA Arun Majumdar * Department of Photon


Science, SLAC, Menlo Park, CA, USA Arun Majumdar Authors * Asegun Henry View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Ravi Prasher View author


publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Arun Majumdar View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING


AUTHOR Correspondence to Asegun Henry. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE


CITE THIS ARTICLE Henry, A., Prasher, R. & Majumdar, A. Five thermal energy grand challenges for decarbonization. _Nat Energy_ 5, 635–637 (2020).


https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0675-9 Download citation * Published: 10 August 2020 * Issue Date: September 2020 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0675-9 SHARE THIS ARTICLE


Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided


by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative