The Memebox FutureBlogger rings in the New Year with the top 10 energy breakthroughs from 2008:
There is still a lot we do not know about the basics of energy systems dealing with photons, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, enzymes and metals. Our current first phase efforts to design nanoscale materials used in energy production, conversion and storage are certain to yield systems that will change how we live in the world in the decades ahead.
Remember, only a century ago, coal and wood were king, magical ‘electric’ light intimidated the general public, only a few could see the potential of oil, rockets and nuclear science were beyond our imagination, and the vision of a tens of millions of ‘horseless carriages’ reshaping the urban landscape was a ridiculous proposition.
So what seemingly novel ideas could shape the next century?
The list runs from hydrinos (very small) to planetary fusion (very big). There are a few surprising things along the way.