A perspective on electrical energy storage

Electrochemical technologies promise to provide the means for electrical energy storage of electricity generated from wind, solar, or nuclear energies. The challenge is to provide this storage in rechargeable batteries or clean fuels at a cost that is competitive with fossil fuels for replacement: (1) of vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine by electric vehicles and (2) of centralized power plants using intermittent electricity generated by wind and solar energy or constant electricity from a nuclear power plant, all serving a variable demand. This perspective outlines existing and possible lines of materials research for the development of rechargeable batteries or the production of clean fuels within the constraints of electrochemical technology.