Renewable energies offer great hope of meeting tomorrow's energy needs, which are to double our energy production without increasing ourCO2 emissions. This can only be achieved by improving energy conversion, transport and storage technologies, where a common denominator of their limited performance lies in the absence of high-performance materials.
As materials are essential, not to say strategic, for each sector in the chain from energy production to energy use, we'll take a look at the current state of play and the outlook for materials. Conversion technologies - photons-electricity (solar cells), mechanics → electricity (wind turbines), heat → electricity (thermoelectrics) - as well as storage technologies encompassing pumping stations (STEPS), flywheels and electrochemical devices (fuel cells, supercapacitors and batteries) are considered. Regardless of the sector considered, the " evolutions " approaches to materials are similar, with in particular the transition from solid materials to nano-architected, nano-textured or even composite materials, as well as organic materials (molecules, elastomers, polymers). Bi-functional materials, obtained by elaborating core-crown or concentration gradient particles, are becoming just as popular as hybrid systems such as photo-rechargeable batteries and others. Multi-disciplinary and systemic approaches, taking into account the material's life cycle, are at last recognized as essential if we are to succeed in the energy transition necessary for the future of our planet.
