Materials for sustainable energy production, storage, and conversion

A steadily growing human population and the growing global economy have led to increasing energy consumption and the realization that fossil fuels are a finite resource on earth. Moreover, due to the rising global temperature, there is a need to reduce CO2 emissions to mitigate or prevent further global warming. Both needs have fueled international efforts to convert the current energy supply strategy into an economy which must eventually be based on renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and water power. Hence, these factors have driven the intensified and evergrowing interest in the fields of energy harvesting and storage seen during the past two decades.