Solar photovoltaics (PV) is already the cheapest form of electricity generation in many countries and market segments. Market prices of PV modules and systems have developed so fast that it is difficult to find reliable up to date public data on real PV capital (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX) on which to base the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) calculations. This paper projects the future utility-scale PV LCOE until 2050 in several European countries. It uses the most recent and best available public input data for the PV LCOE calculations and future projections. Utility-scale PV LCOE in 2019 in Europe with 7% nominal weighted average cost of capital (WACC) ranges from 24 €/MWh in Malaga to 42 €/MWh in Helsinki. This is remarkable since the average electricity day-ahead market price in Finland was 47 €/MWh and in Spain 57 €/MWh in 2018. This means that PV is already cheaper than average spot market electricity all over Europe. By 2030, PV LCOE will range from 14 €/MWh in Malaga to 24 €/MWh in Helsinki with 7% nominal WACC. This range will be 9 to 15 €/MWh by 2050, making PV clearly the cheapest form of electricity generation everywhere. Sensitivity analysis shows that apart from location, WACC is the most important input parameter in the calculation of PV LCOE. Increasing nominal WACC from 2 to 10% will double the LCOE.Changes in PV CAPEX and OPEX, learning rates, or market volume growth scenarios have a relatively smaller impact on future PV LCOE.

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We present a bottom-up fabrication route based on the sputtering gas aggregation source that allows the generation of nanoparticles with controllable and tunable chemical composition while keeping the control of the cluster size. We demonstrate that the chemical composition of the particles can be monitored by the individual adjustment of the working parameters of the magnetrons inserted in a gas aggregation zone. Such control of the parameters leads to a fine control of the ion density of each target material and hence to the control of the chemical composition of the nanoparticles. In particular, we show through X-ray photoemission, atomic force microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy that it is possible to generate bimetallic (AgAu) and trimetallic (AgAuPd) alloy nanoparticles with well-defined and tunable stoichiometries from three targets of pure Ag, Au, and Pd. The proposed route for the generation of nanoparticles opens new possibilities for the fabrication of nanoparticles using a physical method that, for some applications, could be complementary to the chemical methods.

Complex core@shell and core@shell@shell nanoparticles are systems that combine the functionalities of the inner core and outer shell materials together with new physico-chemical properties originated by their low (nano) dimensionality. Such nanoparticles are of prime importance in the fast growing field of nanotechnology as building blocks for more sophisticated systems and a plethora of applications. Here, it is shown that although conceptually simple a modified gas aggregation approach allows the one-step generation of well-controlled complex nanoparticles. In particular, it is demonstrated that the atoms of the core and the shell of the nanoparticles can be easily inverted, avoiding intrinsic constraints of chemical methods.

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Green hydrogen will be an essential part of the future 100% sustainable energy and industry system. Up to one‐third of the required solar and wind electricity would eventually be used for water electrolysis to produce hydrogen, increasing the cumulative electrolyzer capacity to about 17 TWel by 2050. The key method applied in this research is a learning curve approach for the key technologies, i.e., solar photovoltaics (PV) and water electrolyzers, and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). Sensitivities for the hydrogen demand and various input parameters are considered. Electrolyzer capital expenditure (CAPEX) for a large utility‐scale system is expected to decrease from the current 400 €/kWel to 240 €/kWel by 2030 and to 80 €/kWel by 2050. With the continuing solar PV cost decrease, this will lead to an LCOH decrease from the current 31–81 €/MWhH2,LHV (1.0–2.7 €/kgH2) to 20–54 €/MWhH2,LHV (0.7–1.8 €/kgH2) by 2030 and 10–27 €/MWhH2,LHV (0.3–0.9 €/kgH2) by 2050, depending on the location. The share of PV electricity cost in the LCOH will increase from the current 63% to 74% by 2050.

Herein, gas phase synthesis and characterization of multifunctional core@shell, Au@TiO x nanoparticles have been reported. The nanoparticles were produced via a one-step process using a multiple-ion cluster source under a controlled environment that guaranteed the purity of the nanoparticles. The growth of the Au cores (6 nm diameter) is stopped when they pass through the Ti plasma where they are covered by an ultra-thin (1 nm thick) and homogeneous titanium shell that is oxidized in-flight before the soft-landing of the nanoparticles. The Au cores were found to be highly crystalline with icosahedral (44%) and decahedral (66%) structures, whereas the shell, mainly composed of TiO 2 (79%), was not ordered. The highly electrical insulating behaviour of the titanium oxide shell was confirmed by the charging effect produced during X-ray photoemission spectroscopy.