Nanoscale design to enable the revolution in renewable energy

Abstract

The creation of a sustainable energy generation, storage, and distribution infrastructure represents a global grand challenge that requires massive transnational investments in the research and development of energy technologies that will provide the amount of energy needed on a sufficient scale and timeframe with minimal impact on the environment and have limited economic and societal disruption during implementation. In this opinion paper, we focus on an important set of solar, thermal, and electrochemical energy conversion, storage, and conservation technologies specifically related to recent and prospective advances in nanoscale science and technology that offer high potential in addressing the energy challenge. We approach this task from a two-fold perspective: analyzing the fundamental physicochemical principles and engineering aspects of these energy technologies and identifying unique opportunities enabled by nanoscale design of materials, processes, and systems in order to improve performance and reduce costs. Our principal goal is to establish a roadmap for research and development activities in nanoscale science and technology that would significantly advance and accelerate the implementation of renewable energy technologies. In all cases we make specific recommendations for research needs in the near-term (2-5 years), mid-term (5-10 years) and long-term (>10 years), as well as projecting a timeline for maturation of each technological solution. We also identify a number of priority themes in basic energy science that cut across the entire spectrum Broader contextA major scientific and societal challenge of the 21st century is the conversion from a fossil-fuel-based energy economy to one that is sustainable. The energy challenge before us differs in three ways from past large scale challenges: the first is the large magnitude and relatively short time scale of the transition (a predicted doubling of energy demand by mid-century and a tripling by the end of the century); the second is the need to develop CO 2 -neutral, renewable energy sources; and the third is the cost-competitive aspect of the transition (insofar as the cost of energy to the consumer must be competitive with the fossil fuel energy supply being replaced). What is clear is that the science and engineering research communities working with industry, and policy makers (government, economists, social scientists) will have to educate the citizenry and get them to function collaboratively and globally to enhance the quality of life and to preserve the environment of our planet for future generations. Our team has prepared a technical article on the role of nanotechnology in our energy future aimed at guiding both our own community of scientists and engineers and our policy makers who interface with the public. This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2009Energy Environ. Sci., 2009, 2, 559-588 | 559 ANALYSIS www.rsc.org/ees | Energy & Environmental Science of energy conversion, storage, and conservation technologies. We anticipate t...

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