Postface: Conclusion on renewable energy strategies for a sustainable future: Part a: Role of energy storage

Abstract

In the preface, the scientific scenario for the utilization of sustainable resources was provided. The ever increasing carbon dioxide and particulate matter can have unintended consequences to the global environment, and when coupled with the SARS viral pathogen, they can affect individuals with breathing difficulties. Migration toward sustainable resources could begin with an interim transition period where fossil fuels are utilized to generate hydrogen, methane, or steam, with the proviso that clean coal technologies being implemented. Here was examined the role of sustainable energy, specifically solar and wind, which are dependent upon the weather pattern and therefore do not provide a constant heat or energy source and would require storage. The most common is pumped hydro, although geothermal, battery, and capacitance can be used to varying degrees. These approaches focus on material science and engineering. In the material science, the focus is on the development of electrocatalysts for electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices. In Chap. 22, microbial fuel cell design, operation, and performance criteria are evaluated, whereby carbon is converted into carbon dioxide, methane, or hydrogen depending on the microorganism and electrical energy that is generated, much like a chemical fuel cell. Here, we describe transition metal oxides as catalysts for a wide range of devices due to their conductivities and ability to form electroactive electrodes for energy storage and water splitting. These nanostructured materials which can also incorporate transition metal nitrides enable lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and Li-ion capacitors to be fabricated in addition to electrochemical water splitting (via oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions). The knowledge of redox chemistries of these metal oxides (and nitrides) is a first step in the development and application of these structured nanocatalysts.