Welcome to EES Solar

It is with great enthusiasm that we introduce EES Solar, a journal dedicated to shaping the future of solar energy research. As companion journal to Energy and Environmental Science and one of the newest additions to the EES family, EES Solar builds on a legacy of excellence and impact, serving as a premier platform for groundbreaking discoveries in photovoltaics, solar fuels, photothermal applications, and beyond.

Solar energy stands at the heart of a global transformation. The urgency of climate change and the growing demand for sustainable energy solutions have made solar research more vital than ever. EES Solar is committed to publishing high-impact research that advances the efficiency, scalability, and integration of solar technologies, thus bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and real-world applications.

An inclusive and global mission

We believe that the best solutions emerge from collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and borders. EES Solar welcomes contributions from a diverse and international community, recognizing that the challenges in solar energy are global and require collective innovation. Our journal is a home for research at every scale, from fundamental breakthroughs in materials and photophysics to system-level advances in solar integration, policy, and techno-economic analyses.

We are particularly excited to champion work that prioritizes green materials, sustainable practices, and accelerated materials discovery ensuring that advances in solar energy align with broader environmental goals. As an interdisciplinary journal, we aim to bring together researchers in chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, and beyond, fostering an exchange of ideas that accelerates progress. Furthermore, EES Solar, like EES Batteries and EES Catalysis within the EES family, is an Open Access journal. This means that the important research published in the journal benefits from the widest possible global readership. Article processing charges (APCs) are waived until July 2027.

An exceptional editorial team

A journal thrives on the expertise and leadership of its Editors, and I am honoured to work alongside an outstanding team of Associate Editors who bring deep insight across multiple aspects of solar research:

Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)—A leader in perovskite materials, pioneering interface engineering for improved optoelectronic properties.

Junwang Tang (Tsinghua University, China; Imperial College London)—A global expert in solar fuels and photocatalysis, advancing sustainable hydrogen production and solar-driven chemical transformations.

Yingping Zou (Central South University, China)—A driving force in organic photovoltaics, developing flexible, high-efficiency solar cell technologies with a focus on sustainable materials.

With this core team, which will grow further in the future, EES Solar will be a dynamic and forward-looking journal, committed to excellence in solar energy research.

A broad and impactful scope

Our inaugural issue highlights the diversity of topics that EES Solar will cover. From fundamental materials science to system-wide innovations, these studies exemplify the journal's mission to push the boundaries of solar research:

Mechanochemical pretreatment of tin iodide perovskite precursors – investigating how controlled processing techniques enhance the stability and efficiency of lead-free perovskite solar cells.

Cation optimization for bifacial surface passivation in perovskite solar cells – exploring new strategies to improve passivation and boost device performance.

Incorporating thermal co-evaporation in current-matched all-perovskite triple-junction solar cells – a major step toward scalable, high-efficiency multi-junction perovskite photovoltaics.

Advancing non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells – unlocking new molecular designs for improved charge transport and light absorption in organic photovoltaics.

Synergistic nanostructuring for enhanced light trapping in thin-film photovoltaics – leveraging nanostructures to maximize energy capture in next-generation thin-film solar cells.

These contributions set a strong foundation for EES Solar, demonstrating the journal's commitment to research that is rigorous, innovative, and impactful.

Join us in shaping the future of solar energy

As we launch EES Solar, we invite researchers from all backgrounds to contribute their most exciting and transformative work. Whether your focus is on materials discovery, device engineering, system integration, or the broader implications of solar energy adoption, we welcome your insights.

Together, we can accelerate the development of solar energy technologies, turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. The future of energy is solar—and with EES Solar, we are lighting the way forward.

Professor Michael Saliba (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6818-9781)

Editor-in-Chief, EES Solar

University of Stuttgart & Research Center Juelich, Germany

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