Abstract
Access to affordable and reliable energy has been a cornerstone of the world’s increasing prosperity and economic growth since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Our use of energy in the 21st century must also be sustainable. This article provides a techno-economic snapshot of the current energy landscape and identifies several research and development opportunities and challenges, especially where they relate to materials science and engineering, to create the foundation for this new industrial revolution.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the US–Israel Bi-National Science Foundation Grant No. 2010137. The author is grateful to Sara Majetich for many valuable discussions.
Additional information
This article is based on an edited transcript of the Plenary Address given by Arun Majumdar on April 3, 2013, at the 2013 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting in San Francisco.
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Majumdar, A. A new industrial revolution for a sustainable energy future. MRS Bulletin 38, 947–954 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2013.261
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2013.261