Nature Energy, Published online: 15 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02138-y

Smart energy must address enshittification risks

Nature Energy, Published online: 15 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02136-0

Seawater is an attractive feedstock for hydrogen production that overcomes community concerns about fresh water; however, electrolysis of seawater remains challenging. Now, a coupled alkaline water electrolysis and vacuum distillation in a unified process overcomes those challenges by using waste heat to treat seawater, enabling 250 kW-scale efficient co-production of hydrogen and fresh water.

Nature Energy, Published online: 15 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02130-6

Given its abundance, seawater is an attractive feedstock for hydrogen production, but direct electrolysis is hindered by side reactions and corrosion. Here the authors couple alkaline electrolysis with low-temperature desalination, using waste electrolyser heat to distil seawater into a fresh water feed, enabling stable, scalable performance.

Nature Energy, Published online: 15 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02141-3

Hydrogen pipelines could become important for future energy systems, but current cost estimates often ignore regional differences. This study develops a more realistic approach that accounts for geography, infrastructure and financing factors to improve hydrogen transport cost assessments.