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The growing demand for clean energy transitions has become increasingly significant, with solar energy emerging as one of the most prominent clean energy resources contributing to this effort. However, there remains limited knowledge regarding the economic feasibility of solar project development across different geographic locations and scales. This study introduces a comprehensive economic analysis framework to assess the economic viability of residential- and utility-scale solar projects, using California, Tennessee, and Texas as case studies. The economic assessment is conducted through a cost–benefit analysis that adopts a full life-cycle approach, encompassing phases from permitting to demolition for both scales of solar projects. We found that utility-scale solar projects generally offer more favorable investment return ratios (IRRs) compared to residential projects, with IRRs of 0.57 to 0.61 for California, 0.63 to 0.80 for Texas, and 0.11 to 0.52 for Tennessee. Moreover, utility-scale solar projects in Texas were found to exhibit the earliest breakeven point, reaching financial viability by the seventh year. Furthermore, the incorporation of energy storage solutions, such as battery energy storage systems (BESSs), is shown to be essential for improving the efficiency of residential solar energy usage, with efficiency gains of up to 50%. Finally, region-specific strategies, including net-metering policies, electricity retail market structures, and the promotion of solar adoption, play a crucial role in enhancing the financial viability of solar projects for both residential and utility scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the effects of spatial scales on the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the social vulnerability index (SoVI) model output is critical, especially for spatial scales finer than the census block group or census block. This study applied the intelligent dasymetric mapping approach to spatially disaggregate the census tract scale SoVI model into a 300‐m grids resolution SoVI map in Davidson County, Nashville. Then, uncertainty analysis and variance‐based global sensitivity analysis were conducted on two scales of SoVI models: (a) census tract scale; (b) 300‐m grids scale. Uncertainty analysis results indicate that the SoVI model has better confidence in identifying places with a higher socially vulnerable status, no matter the spatial scales in which the SoVI is constructed. However, the spatial scale of SoVI does affect the sensitivity analysis results. The sensitivity analysis suggests that for census tract scale SoVI, the indicator transformation and weighting scheme are the two major uncertainty contributors in the SoVI index modeling stages. While for finer spatial scales like the 300‐m grid's resolution, the weighting scheme becomes the uttermost dominant uncertainty contributor, absorbing uncertainty contributions from indicator transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is crucial for propylene production, but commercially employed Pt‐based catalysts face susceptibility to deactivation due to the Pt sintering during reaction and regeneration steps. Here, we report a SiO2 supported nanometric (MnCoCuZnPt) high‐entropy PDH catalyst with high activity and stability. The catalyst exhibited a super high propane conversion of 56.6 % with 94 % selectivity of propylene at 600 °C. The propylene productivity reached 68.5 molC3H6 ⋅ gPt−1 ⋅ h−1, nearly three times that of Pt/SiO2 (23.5 molC3H6 ⋅ gPt−1 ⋅ h−1) under a weight hourly space velocity of 60 h−1. In a high‐entropy nanoparticle, Pt atoms were atomically dispersed through coordination with other metals and exhibited a positive charge, thereby showcasing remarkable catalytic activity. The high‐entropy effect contributes to the catalyst a superior stability with a low deactivation constant of 0.0004 h−1 during 200 hours of reaction under the industrial gas composition at 550 °C. Such high‐entropy PDH catalyst is easy regenerated through simple air combustion of deposited coke. After the fourth consecutive regeneration cycle, satisfactory catalytic stability was observed, and the element distribution of spent catalysts almost returned to their initial state, with no detectable Pt sintering. This work provides new insights into designing active, stable, and regenerable novel PDH catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co‐free O3‐type NaNi0.5Mn0.5O2 cathode material for sodium‐ion batteries has shown great promise due to its high theoretical capacity and plentiful Na reservoir. However, the rapid capacity recession caused by harmful phase transition and large volume strain severely restricts their practical application. Herein, the obstacle is well addressed by constructing a P2&O3 biphasic structure via a customized boron‐doping strategy. The light‐weight boron doping in the interstitial position reduces the energy gap of the formation energy of P2 and O3 structure, which induces the formation of P2&O3 biphase in high Na state. In addition, the biphasic structure exhibits near zero volume strain due to the lattice interlocking effect of P2&O3, as identified by in situ X‐ray diffraction measurement. As a result, it presents a remarkable cyclability with a capacity retention of 85.2% over 1000 cycles at a high rate of 5 C. More importantly, a pouch‐type full‐cell device can exhibit a long cycling life with 70.8% capacity retention over 150 cycles at 0.1 C. This work can offer a new inspiration for designing advanced high sodium electrode materials via light element doping for future energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humic‐like substances (HULIS) are a ubiquitous reactive component of atmospheric aerosol. They participate in the formation of secondary organic aerosols via chemical reactions with atmospheric oxidants. Here, we assess the influence of transition metal ions (namely ferric iron, Fe(III)), and nitrate ions (NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$) on the heterogeneous reaction of gaseous NO2 with an aqueous film containing gallic acid (GA) or tannic acid (TA) as proxies for HULIS. Using a vertical wetted wall flow tube technique, the uptake coefficients of gaseous NO2 on GA and TA increased nonlinearly with increasing [Fe(III)], in dark and under light irradiation. However, the combined effect of both ions, Fe(III) and NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$, led to a substantial decrease in NO2 uptake in the dark and under simulated near‐UV sunlight irradiation (300 < λ < 400 nm). The lifetime of GA in dilute aqueous phase, which corresponds to cloud water, due to reaction with NO2 would be 6 hr during both nighttime and daytime. However, the lifetime of GA in aerosol particles which contain both ions, that is, Fe(III) and NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$, would increase to 27 hr during nighttime and 11 days and 6 hr due to light‐induced reaction with NO2. Also, we observed, using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, the formation of nitrocatechols compounds (e.g., methyl‐nitrocatechol), which contribute to brown carbon. Compounds with reduced functional groups such as amines were also observed in the presence of iron and nitrate ions in the dark and under irradiation, indicating that Fe(III) and NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$, can influence the kinetics and product distribution in deliquescent aerosol particles. Plain Language Summary: Biomass burning is one of the main sources of humic‐like substances (HULIS) in the aerosol particles covering a large fraction of the water‐soluble organic carbon. Here we assessed the impact of nitrate and iron ions on the uptake coefficients of NO2 on gallic acid (GA) and tannic acid (TA) as HULIS proxies. The uptake coefficients and consequently the atmospheric lifetimes were dramatically impacted by the presence of nitrate and iron ions. The analysis of the formed product compounds in the condensed phase by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry indicates that the presence of nitrate and iron ions largely impact the observed nitrogen‐containing organic compounds formed during the reaction of NO2 with GA. Majority of the formed compounds contain reduced nitrogen‐functional groups such as amines, amides, and imines. We identified the formation of nitroaromatics with at least one nitro functional group attached directly to a benzene ring, like 5‐Nitroguaiacol, 4‐methyl‐5‐nitrocatechol. These compounds, can cause positive radiative forcing of aerosols due to their light‐absorbing properties. Key Points: Uptake coefficients of gas phase NO2 on humic‐like substances proxies in aerosol particles are largely impacted by nitrate and iron ionsFormation of nitrogen containing product compounds in aerosols are impacted by nitrate and iron ions compared to that in cloud waterFormation of nitrocatechols like methyl‐nitrocatechol, which contribute to brown carbon is observed upon influence of nitrate and iron ions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting EVs has been widely recognized as an efficient way to alleviate future climate change. Nonetheless, the large number of spent LiBs associated with EVs is becoming a huge concern from both environmental and energy perspectives. This review summarizes the three most popular LiB recycling technologies, the current LiB recycling market trend, and global recycling magnates' industrial dynamics regarding this subject. We mainly focus on reviewing hydrometallurgical and direct recycling technologies to discuss the advancement of those recycling technologies and their future commercialization pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative coupling of H2 evolution with oxidative organic synthesis is promising in avoiding the use of sacrificial agents and producing hydrogen energy with value‐added chemicals simultaneously. Nonetheless, the photocatalytic activity is obstructed by sluggish electron‐hole separation and limited redox potentials. Herein, Ni‐doped Zn0.2Cd0.8S quantum dots are chosen after screening by DFT simulation to couple with TiO2 microspheres, forming a step‐scheme heterojunction. The Ni‐doped configuration tunes the highly active S site for augmented H2 evolution, and the interfacial Ni−O bonds provide fast channels at the atomic level to lower the energy barrier for charge transfer. Also, DFT calculations reveal an enhanced built‐in electric field in the heterojunction for superior charge migration and separation. Kinetic analysis by femtosecond transient absorption spectra demonstrates that expedited charge migration with electrons first transfer to Ni2+ and then to S sites. Therefore, the designed catalyst delivers drastically elevated H2 yield (4.55 mmol g−1 h−1) and N‐benzylidenebenzylamine production rate (3.35 mmol g−1 h−1). This work provides atomic‐scale insights into the coordinated modulation of active sites and built‐in electric fields in step‐scheme heterojunction for ameliorative photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the DCMA concerning the future risk of the water security status. We considered three risk factors: population growth, economic growth, and natural water supply–demand differences. In the risk analysis part, we consulted with experts from several sectors including academia, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and industry, to predict that the probability of future water stresses in high-, medium-, and low-risk scenarios are 0.73, 0.24, and 0.03, respectively. In the decision analysis part, we adopted two multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approaches that include multiple attribute value theory (MAVT) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methods to evaluate the best alternative decision to alleviate future water stresses in the DCMA. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that, although expanding existing water reservation might be a solution to tackle the challenge, the best option really closely connects to the weighting scheme of the criteria considered in the framework. This study provides a valuable risk and decision analysis framework to analyze the water security status associated with the future water supply and demand gap decrease caused by three risk factors: population growth, climate change, and natural water supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeolian sand (AS) and recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) can be reasonably utilized as green materials for concrete modification. The paucity of natural sand and gravel in the construction industry is anticipated to be remedied by the use of these two eco-friendly concrete ingredients. This is incredibly important for environmental protection. Study on the damage law of self-compacting concrete with the addition of AS and RCA (ARSCC) under severely cold conditions is of great significance for the promotion and implementation of this material. In this study, 12 groups of ARSCC specimens were prepared for freeze–thaw cycle experiments, with AS substitution rates of 0, 20%, 40%, and 60% as well as RCA replacement rates of 0, 25%, and 50%. Then, the degradation mechanism of ARSCC freeze–thaw damage was discussed from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives via mass loss rate (Wn), relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (Pn), bubble spacing factor, and SEM analysis. Finally, the response surface method was utilized to determine the damage variable. A freeze–thaw damage model for ARSCC was developed based on the Weibull distribution and Grey theories. The results showed that the Pn could reflect the evolution law of the internal structure of ARSCC. Appropriate addition of AS to fill the large, harmful pores in RCA would inhibit freeze–thaw damage of ARSCC. The optimum substitution rates of AS and RCA were determined to be 20–40% and 25–50%, respectively. In addition, the values obtained from theoretical damage modeling and experiments were in good agreement. The acquired damage model had the potential to predict ARSCC damage under freeze–thaw cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building an integrated energy system (IES) is an excellent solution to environmental pollution and energy consumption currently. However, there are usually various IES configurations with different performances, and it is usually difficult for the decision-makers to select the most sustainable IES solution among multiple choices. In this paper, we attempt to design an evaluation method that considers the renewable energy and energy system model for evaluating the benefit of an IES. Firstly, this paper constructs an evaluation index system including four dimensions of technology, economy, environment, and society, based on the physical architecture of IES and its benefit influencing factors. It focuses on multiple energy sources or systems, and satisfies the overall evaluation of IES, resulting in accurate benefit evaluation results. Secondly, the subjective weight is determined by combining the triangular fuzzy number (TFN) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The objective weight is determined by the entropy method. The combined weight is obtained by combining the subjective and objective weights, which solves the problem of the weight calculation error caused by the mutual influence between the indexes. Finally, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is used to conduct the benefit evaluation of the IES, which solves the problem that the qualitative index cannot be calculated. This paper takes an IES project in a city in northern China as a case study. Through sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis, the reliability and feasibility of the evaluation results and proposed method are verified. The analysis results show that the model evaluation results are intuitive and consistent with reality, and the data information utilization rate is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aggravating extreme climate changes and natural disasters stimulate the exploration of low‐carbon/zero‐carbon alternatives to traditional carbon‐based fossil fuels. Solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) transformation is considered as appealing route to convert renewable solar energy into carbon‐free hydrogen. Restricted by the low efficiency and high cost of noble metal cocatalysts, high‐performance and cost‐effective photocatalysts are required to realize the realistic STH transformation. Herein, the 2D FePS3 (FPS) nanosheets anchored with TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2/FePS3) are synthesized and tested for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. With the integration of FPS, the photocatalytic H2‐evolution rate on TiO2/FePS3 is radically increased by ≈1686%, much faster than that of TiO2 alone. The origin of the greatly raised activity is revealed by theoretical calculations and various advanced characterizations, such as transient‐state photoluminescence spectroscopy/surface photovoltage spectroscopy, in situ atomic force microscopy combined with Kelvin probe force microscopy (AFM‐KPFM), in situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption near edge structure. Especially, the in situ AFM‐KPFM and in situ XPS together confirm the electron transport pathway in TiO2/FePS3 with light illumination, unveiling the efficient separation/transfer of charge carrier in TiO2/FePS3 step‐scheme heterojunction. This work sheds light on designing and fabricating novel 2D material‐based S‐scheme heterojunctions in photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]