Fuel cells are on the rise as sustainability and decarbonization efforts become more widespread globally due to their ability to help contribute to economies on their way to meeting net zero targets.

Steel decarbonization technologies have been under development for many years; however, the advancement of new hydrogen-based and electric technologies has recently accelerated, paving the way for green steel production. This article presents some highlights from IDTechEx's latest Green Steel research, discussing policies and regulations driving the market, technologies for decarbonizing existing steel mills, hydrogen-DRI and new ironmaking technologies for green steel, and key sectors procuring green steel.

Perovskite PV has garnered significant industry interest due to its high efficiency, scalable manufacturing, and relatively low material costs. However, durability challenges have long stalled its commercialization. Now, several pilot and small commercial scale perovskite solar projects are underway, with many companies achieving panel lifetimes over 10 years and steadily bridging the gap to the 25-year target.

With record-breaking carbon credit sales in 2024 and increasing overlap of voluntary and compliance carbon markets, the business case for carbon dioxide removal is growing stronger. IDTechEx forecasts the carbon credit market revenue from durable, engineered carbon dioxide removal technologies will exceed US$14 billion in 2035.

The renewable energy landscape is evolving rapidly, with solar power leading the way. In 2023, global investments in solar energy reportedly surpassed all other power generation sources—including oil—for the first time. This article details the major growth factors for the thin film photovoltaics market, including the emerging technologies and application areas.

Photovoltaic technologies are gaining momentum as a result of solar power being one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources across the world. In 2021, solar installations were seen to overtake wind generation, and in 2023, approximately 450GW of new solar capacity was recorded.

Automotive and battery OEMs are responsible for collecting retired batteries, which is where the second-life battery value chain begins. Recycling processes may see critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel reclaimed by OEMs. However, the already somewhat established relationship between recyclers and manufacturers may prove tricky for repurposing companies to interrupt.

Data centers can be likened to an ecosystem of computing facilities that contain many facets required to store and handle data. IDTechEx's latest report, "Sustainability for Data Centers 2025-2035: Green Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players", unpacks efforts being made in the data center sector towards increased sustainability in response to the rising CO2 emissions from the development of AI.

As the United States withdraws from the 2015 Paris Agreement, which established globally shared goals that pledged to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, concerns about the future of sustainable technologies are growing. However, IDTechEx identifies key areas where sustainable growth can remain a reality.

Key trends are emerging that suggest where the second-life battery market will develop and what applications these technologies will be used for. As written in their recently updated market report, "Second-life Electric Vehicle Batteries 2025-2035: Markets, Forecasts, Players, and Technologies", IDTechEx predicts that by 2035, the global second-life EV battery market will be valued at US$4.2 billion.

Germany has one of the strongest battery energy storage systems (BESS) potential worldwide, with an already large uptake of residential battery storage, meaning market growth is set to succeed within the next decade.

Public awareness of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is hitting a new high as headlines concerning "forever chemicals" continue to appear in prominent news outlets. Whether it be news about PFAS bans in different industries, lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers and users, detection of PFAS in various locations and products, and treatment of PFAS in drinking water, there is no doubt that for many, PFAS is one of the foremost health issues of the 2020s.

Thursday 20 March 2025 - PFAS: Changing Regulations and Increasing Scrutiny for Forever Chemicals; PFAS definitions and concerns about PFAS exposure; Regulatory updates impacting PFAS; Impact of regulations on PFAS in sustainable food packaging

The advancement of fuel cell technologies, combined with the global commitment to sustainable aviation, creates a significant opportunity for hydrogen-fuelled planes to enhance the sustainability of air travel.

Silicon-based solar technologies continue to dominate the market; however, there is rising interest in an emerging technology known as perovskite. Perovskites have the potential to enhance existing silicon solar supplies, but which applications can perovskite solar be used for, and how will it compete in a market dominated by an already well-established technology?

IDTechEx forecasts that by 2035, the global data center sector will have saved US$150 billion by using low-carbon energy sources compared to a fossil fuel scenario (taking 2024 as the baseline). Some emerging energy technologies expected to play an increasingly important role are explored in this article.

As growing numbers of countries identify critical materials within their economies, the ability to recycle them is becoming increasingly important, especially considering both their economic importance and ongoing supply risks. Sustainability goals rely on growing technology sectors like electric vehicles, which rely on magnets to be manufactured, ultimately meaning sourcing and recycling critical materials is an economic necessity to keep supply chains running.

Thursday 20 February 2025 - Data Center Energy Use Exceeds Sweden's Annual Consumption, Driving Demand for Sustainable Technologies; Energy consumption overview; Regional regulations and hyperscalers' actions and targets; Scope 2: Power generation technology benchmarking and cost analysis; Scope 2: Energy efficiency trend of data center IT, thermal and electrical components; Scope 3 decarbonization technologies; Market size forecast of carbon-free energy for data center and future opportunities

Biofuels and e-fuels have been on the rise as many sectors worldwide aim to increase sustainability, with traditional aviation using fossil-based jet fuel contributing around 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. Conventional aviation fuel (Jet A-1) can now be blended with or replaced by new sustainable fuel derived from biomass or electricity. The main advantage of these replacement fuels is repurposing waste products from other industries into useful products, with SAF reducing flight emissions from its production to end use, anywhere from 30% to 90% in best-case scenarios.

Scope 3 emissions (indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in a company's value chain but are not produced by the company itself) are hard to quantify and even harder for businesses to reduce. The embodied carbon from construction can often be a significant contributor, with most of this CO2 coming from the cement used. This article explores three new green cement solutions that are increasingly enabling companies to decrease scope 3 CO2 emissions.