Toward Next-Generation Semiartificial Photosynthesis: Multidisciplinary Engineering of Biohybrid Systems.

Water, with its natural abundance and various forms, has been a promising sustainable energy source. To harness water energy more efficiently, interfacial electro-hydrodynamics (EHD) micro/nano-fluidic energy conversion and harvesting technologies have rapidly advanced over the past few decades. Compared to conventional water energy harvesting methods like hydroelectric dams and tidal power plants, EHD-based approaches exhibit unique advantages in capturing random, low-frequency, and intermittent fluid motions, enabling the effective harvesting of untapped energy sources such as raindrops, tides, and even ambient humidity. This review systematically summarizes the major interfacial EHD inspired micro/nano-fluidic energy harvesting and conversion strategies, providing an in-depth analysis of their working principles, design principles for enhancing electric output, and their potential applications that mainly include power sources and self-powered devices. Furthermore, we highlight the key challenges facing this field and discuss future research directions and breakthroughs required to facilitate the feasibility and scalability of EHD-based energy harvesting and conversion systems. With continued advancements, these technologies offer significant promise for transitioning from laboratory research to practical applications, providing sustainable and distributed energy solutions.

Novel Inductor‐less Conversion Strategy Based on Multiphase Transformer‐Coupled Converters: Analysis, Design and Applications

Oxygenic photosynthesis is the primary solar energy-conversion process that supports much of life on Earth. It is initiated by photosystem II (PSII), an enzyme that extracts electrons from H2O and feeds them into an electron-transport chain to result in chemical synthesis using the input of solar energy. PSII can be immobilized onto electrodes for photoelectrochemical studies, in which electrons photogenerated from PSII are harnessed for enzyme characterization, and to drive fuel-forming reactions by electrochemically coupling the PSII to a suitable (bio)catalyst. Research in PSII photoelectrochemistry has recently made substantial strides in electrode design and unravelling charge-transfer pathways at the bio–material interface. In turn, these efforts have opened up possibilities in the field of bio-photoelectrochemistry, expanding the range of biocatalysts that can be systematically interrogated, including biofilms of whole photosynthetic cells. Furthermore, these studies have accelerated the development of semi-artificial photosynthesis to afford autonomous, solar-driven, fuel-forming biohybrid devices. This Review summarizes the latest advancements in PSII photoelectrochemistry with respect to electrode design and understanding of the bio-material interface, on both the protein and cellular level. We also discuss the role of biological photosynthetic systems in present and future semi-artificial photosynthesis. A light-driven enzyme that oxidizes H2O, photosystem II has inspired a wealth of solar fuels research and is used directly in semi-artificial photosynthesis. This Review describes the photosystem–electrode interface, as well as state-of-the-art electrode and biohybrid cell designs, and their importance in bio-photoelectrochemistry and semi-artificial photosynthesis.

Dynamic energy conversion and management strategy for an integrated electricity and natural gas system with renewable energy: Deep reinforcement learning approach

Energy conversion strategies in the European paper industry – A case study in three countries

Development of machine learning-based models for describing processes in a continuous solar-driven biomass gasifier

100% efficiency is the ultimate goal for all energy harvesting and conversion applications. However, no energy conversion process is reported to reach this ideal limit before. Here, an example with near perfect energy conversion efficiency in the process of solar vapor generation below room temperature is reported. Remarkably, when the operational temperature of the system is below that of the surroundings (i.e., under low density solar illumination), the total vapor generation rate is higher than the upper limit that can be produced by the input solar energy because of extra energy taken from the warmer environment. Experimental results are provided to validate this intriguing strategy under 1 sun illumination. The best measured rate is ≈2.20 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun illumination, well beyond its corresponding upper limit of 1.68 kg m−2 h−1 and is even faster than the one reported by other systems under 2 sun illumination.

In this paper, we examine the solar wind energy input (expressed by −Vx × Bs, where Vx is the x component of the solar wind velocity and Bs is the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field IMF Bz) for an onset of magnetic reconnection in the near‐Earth magnetotail. There are 41 events in which in situ observations of magnetic reconnection were made by Geotail. Magnetic reconnection in the postmidnight (premidnight) sector of the plasma sheet occurred under strong (weak) solar wind energy input conditions. Furthermore, we study temporal variations in the solar wind energy input with two different approaches using ground magnetic field observations and proton injections at geosynchronous altitude. These two analyses confirmed the preference of the postmidnight sector for the onset of magnetic reconnection under the strong solar wind energy input conditions. It is also found that the medium and weak solar wind energy input may move the onset location to earlier magnetic local times. The onset location of magnetic reconnection in the near‐Earth magnetotail is controlled by the solar wind energy input through the global magnetospheric dynamics during the loading period.

In this article we use Cluster power density (E · J) data from 2001, 2002, and 2004 to investigate energy conversion and transfer in the plasma sheet. We show that a southward IMF Bz is favorable for plasma sheet energy conversion, and that there is an increased particle and Poynting flux toward the Earth at times when Cluster observes an enhanced energy conversion in the plasma sheet. Conversion from electromagnetic to kinetic energy is increasingly dominant farther down‐tail, while the generation of electromagnetic power from kinetic energy becomes important toward the Earth with a maximum at roughly 10 RE. By linking observations of the key quantity E · J to observations of the solar wind input and earthward energy flux, our results demonstrate the role of the inner tail to midtail plasma sheet as a mediator between the solar wind energy input into the magnetosphere and the auroral dissipation in the ionosphere.

Semi-artificial photosynthesis, which merges the precision of synthetic materials with the catalytic versatility of biological systems, offers a transformative route to solar-driven chemical fuel production and sustainable energy conversion. Conjugated polymers, with their high molar absorption coefficients, broad spectral responsiveness, and tunable semiconducting properties, have emerged as key components in advancing semi-artificial photosynthetic biohybrids. Their capacity for targeted surface modification not only facilitates enhanced interfacing with biological catalysts but also optimizes charge transfer across the bio-synthetic interface. This review traces the evolution of conjugated polymer-based biohybrids, highlighting recent advancements that extend microbial light harvesting, support cellular resilience against environmental stress, and optimize charge transfer via precise structure-activity relationships. Furthermore, this review explores the challenges and opportunities in this field, offering a roadmap for the design of durable and high-performance biohybrid systems. Through the integration of conjugated polymers and microorganisms, this review outlines a strategic approach for solar-driven chemical energy conversion, paving the way for eco-friendly energy solutions.

Quantification of energy flexibility of residential net-zero-energy buildings involved with dynamic operations of hybrid energy storages and diversified energy conversion strategies

Solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) energy conversion can be typically realized by photocatalytic water splitting, photoelectrochemical water splitting, and photovoltaic water electrolysis. Herein, we propose a new strategy for STH energy conversion based on photothermal‐promoted electrocatalysis (PTPE). First, carbon hemispheres were developed with strong capability of collecting and concentrating heat by absorbing photons (>630 nm). Second, we incorporated two representative materials, Co(OH)2 and MoS2, with the heat collectors (carbon hemispheres) as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively. The two hybrids showed enhanced electrocatalytic activity of water splitting under light irradiation, owing to the elevated local temperature of carbon that had been heated by the light. PTPE might be widely applied in electrocatalytic systems for solar energy utilization via a simple STH and subsequent heat‐promoted electrosynthesis route.

Strategies for energy conversion from sludge to methane through pretreatment coupled anaerobic digestion: Potential energy loss or gain

This paper presents different roots of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) strategies and challenges faced in terms of efficiency and economy of OTEC plants. The conversion strategies primarily focus on open cycle, closed cycle and hybrid plants. The efficiency studies mainly skew towards the effect of plant distance and thermal gradient towards plant efficiency. The economic analysis is based upon the effect of per unit cost for OTEC plant together with other important considerations such as Plant Factor (PF) and offshore distance, which determine the cost of power generation. Some illustrative examples are also provided using the derived equations under efficiency and economic studies.

A high energy, reusable and daily-utilization molecular solar thermal conversion and storage material based on azobenzene/multi-walled carbon nanotubes hybrid