Energy sector decarbonization is a key battleground in China’s march toward carbon neutrality, and understanding what it means and takes is crucial for its policy-making and sustainable implementation. Here we analyze the structural challenges and review the necessary supporting technologies and systems of energy sector decarbonization in China. This work could achieve a better understanding of technology development and deployment, and to make more thoughtful policy recommendations.

Dr. Dong Hyuk Chun and his research team from the Clean Air Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), led by President Chang-keun Yi, have developed a technology that efficiently manages volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from small-scale businesses and recycles them with lower energy consumption compared to existing methods.

The CCT sensitivity calculation method proposed in this study provides a new tool for stability analysis in power systems with a high proportion of power electronic devices. By considering the effects of current limiting and control switching, as well as scenarios where stability boundaries are controlled by periodic orbits (POs), the method quantifies the impact of various parameters on system stability and offers guidance for adjusting inverter control parameters. Future research could further refine the CCT calculation method and integrate CCT sensitivity into optimization models to enhance system stability through improved inverter control strategies.

A new study in Engineering reveals that S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) - producing probiotics might be a potential way to manage sleep disorders. The research identified Lactobacillus helveticus CCFM1320 as a promising probiotic. Tests on sleep-deprived mice and a clinical trial with insomnia patients showed that it could improve sleep quality, and the findings suggest a non-pharmacological alternative for treating sleep problems.

New research into lithium mining in the “Lithium Triangle” of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia — source of more than half of the world’s lithium resources — shows that the commonly accepted models used to estimate water how much water is available for lithium extraction and what the environmental effects may be are off by more than an order of magnitude. The paper, published in Communications Earth and Environment, reveals that there is far less water available than previously thought. With demand for the mineral, which is critical for batteries powering the green transition, projected to increase 40-fold in the coming decades, the research suggests local communities, regulators and the lithium mining industry must quickly collaborate to bring their water usage within sustainable limits.