摘要
Developing renewable energy technologies is essential because of the shortage of resources and the deterioration of the environment. Normally, renewable energy is converted into electrical energy or chemical products for specific end uses [1]. However, these approaches are challenging due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources (e.g., solar energy and wind energy), high construction cost of electric grids, and low efficiency for the production of chemicals [2]. To overcome these challenges, a new strategy has been proposed in which the electric power generated using renewable energy is converted to chemical energy for easy transportation and flexible applications through electrocatalytic reactions [3]. Meanwhile, the excess electricity can be stored in batteries to provide a stable power supply. This strategy is environmentally benign and can meet the energy demands in multiple fields. Successful deployment of such a system requires rapid development of three essential areas—renewable power generation, electrical energy storage, and electrocatalysis, and these are the main topics covered in this special issue of Fundamental Research titled “Electrochemical Energies.”
