ABSTRACT: Energy storage has mainly focused on electrochemical systems. However, more than 90% of the world's primary energy generation is consumed or wasted thermally. Thermal energy storage has a broad and critical role to play in making energy use more sustainable for heating and cooling, solar energy harvesting, and other applications. Thermal storage technologies are still based on solutions developed decades ago, such as molten salt, ice, and paraffin phase-change systems, whose performance and cost do not merit widerscale adoption. Progress in materials science, chemistry, and engineering may lead to dramatic breakthroughs in thermal energy storage that could improve the efficiency with which we produce, distribute, and consume energy.
ABSTRACT: The world is in transition and is offering possibly the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century. The question is: Can we grab it? I believe we can, but we need to be both smart and strategic about it. Let me explain this through a macro-picture and some global trends.
ABSTRACT: In 1987, Nokia launched its first handheld mobile phone, the Mobira Cityman. The Cityman weighed in at about 2 pounds, packed a single hour of battery life, and cost thousands of dollars. While utterly revolutionary at the time, our kids today would not even recognize this ancient behemoth.