High Performance Solar-Driven Power–Water Cogeneration for Practical Application: From Micro/Nano Materials to Beyond

Solar-driven water–electricity cogeneration is a promising strategy for tackling water scarcity and power shortages. However, comprehensive reviews on performance, scalability, commercialization, and power density are lacking. This Perspective presents an overview of recent developments and insights into the challenges and future outlooks for practical applications in this area. We summarize recent advances in high-efficiency water production, focusing on rapid evaporation and condensation. Then we categorize power–water cogeneration systems by power generation mechanisms like steam, evaporation, salinity gradient, photovoltaics, and temperature gradient, providing a comprehensive summary of the performance and applicability of these systems in different scenarios. Finally, we highlight challenges in current systems, considering nanoscale mechanisms and large-scale manufacturing, while also exploring potential trends for future practical applications.