In search of clean, affordable energy

Abstract

By the end of the 20th century, many universities had cut back on energy research, which had been so prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s. As concerns grew about climate change and rising demand for energy, Stanford University and several industry sponsors launched the Global Climate and Energy Project—a pioneering partnership to address the challenge of providing clean, secure and affordable energy for all. This article reviews the progress related to projects on geologic carbon storage, biomass to biofuel conversion, solar cells and batteries.