Energy Harvesting

Membrane materials are of fundamental importance for fuel cells, even giving their name to the specific type of fuel cell, as is the case for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Typically, these membranes consist of ionomers containing perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which in turn are subject to increasing concern and proposed regulations. In response to this, alternative materials for membranes are beginning to emerge.

As green hydrogen increasingly garners recognition as a pivotal tool for decarbonizing various industries, the electrolyzer market is also observing a steady and consistent rise in the number of companies venturing into the development of electrolyzer stacks and production facilities.

Thursday 25 April 2024 - Hydrogen and Solar Charged Electric Vehicles: Navigating the EV Transition with Constrained Electrical Grids - Introduction to the need for off-grid charging; Overview of the main charging options; Relative advantages for each solution, and likely end-use sectors; Market outlook

The chemical sector alone is responsible for 2% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and the industry depends heavily on finite fossil fuel feedstocks. The new IDTechEx report, "Carbon Dioxide Utilization 2024-2044: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players", explores how captured CO2 could be utilized as a feedstock for hundreds of different chemicals instead.

IDTechEx have released a brand new episode of the 'Tomorrow's Tech by IDTechEx' podcast, 'Battery Technology: What's The Next Big Breakthrough?'. Host Dr Tess Skyrme and industry expert Dr Alex Holland will be discussing the up-and-coming trends in the upcoming battery landscape.

With ~90% of industrial heating processes using fossil fuels, this has led to approximately 25% of global energy pollution coming from heat produced for industrial processes. As such, demand for technologies to decarbonize industrial heating is expected to increase. One such technology that is able to store and supply heat to industrial processes is thermal energy storage (TES). TES for industrial applications currently only forms a minor percentage of global TES capacity, given that TES systems have been widely deployed in applications such as pairing with concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, district heating, cold chain, and space heating for buildings.

Wednesday 24 April 2024 - What is quantum computing, and what is the state of the industry? How has the industry changed in the last 12 months? How do scalability challenges vary between quantum computing modalities? Which trends can be expected in the quantum computing market in 2024 and beyond? When are some key inflection points anticipated for commercial value creation?

Electric vehicles are no longer a niche oddity but fully mainstream, with many automotive manufacturers announcing targets to phase out ICE construction in favor of BEVs (battery electric vehicles). Passenger cars are not the only sectors where electrification is taking off. Medium and heavy-duty haulage, construction, agriculture, and mining are all under pressure to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and going electric is an increasingly attractive solution.

"Forever chemicals", or PFAS, are coming under increasing regulatory pressure globally as concerns over the negative effects of PFAS on human health and the environment are mounting. In their brand new report, "Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Emerging Applications, Alternatives, Regulations", IDTechEx dives deeply to explore the future trajectory of PFAS in five key emerging applications: thermal management for data centers, sustainable food packaging, electric vehicles, low-loss materials for 5G, and the hydrogen economy.

Thursday 28 March 2024 - Technology & Market Developments for Electrolyzers in Green Hydrogen Production - Introduction to the hydrogen economy and green hydrogen production; Overview of the incumbent electrolyzer technologies; Current state of electrolyzer manufacturing and market; Key innovations needed in electrolyzer technology & overview of novel technologies; Electrolyzer market growth drivers and market outlook