Development pathways for achieving sustainability in insulating materials.

A study led by Wuhan University's School of Electrical Engineering and Automation has been published in Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering.

The research, Sustainable Insulating Materials for Power Systems, outlines strategies for advancing sustainable gaseous, liquid, and solid insulating materials for next-generation green energy and power systems.

The study provides an in-depth analysis of sustainable development pathways for three types of insulating materials, beginning by detailing the fundamental properties, typical applications, and low-carbon development principles of gaseous, liquid, and solid insulators.

The paper then summarizes basic principles for achieving sustainability in insulating materials, including recycling, purification, reuse, eco-friendly substitution, harmless disposal, and resource conversion, highlighting the current state of these strategies, their advantages and limitations, and their potential for industrial application.

The study also analyzes the challenges to the sustainable development of insulating materials, including policy incentives, technological maturity, and industry standards, and offers insights into future trends.

These findings provide a new perspective on the sustainable, low-carbon transition of insulating materials for power and energy systems and are expected to drive the development of new eco-friendly insulating materials and promote the safe disposal and resource recovery of retired materials.