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One of the major challenges facing our society is that we derive most of our energy from finite resources that have taken millions of years to generate, but which are being used at a rate where they will be depleted in a matter of centuries. To continue our way of life, we must therefore find other sources of energy that can be replenished at the same rate they are consumed. In other words, we need to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources.

Since the middle of the 19th century, we have steadily been expanding a vast network of infrastructure focused on exploiting a small number of natural resources, such as coal, crude oil, and natural gas. There is currently no single renewable resource that we can exploit at scales to rival these energy giants. Barring a significant breakthrough in one or more new technologies, we will need to rely on diversifying our energy resources. While distributing production across multiple technologies has the advantage of protecting against fluctuations in supply, it also increases the number of technical challenges with respect to development and operation.

Current sources of renewable energy consist primarily of solar, wind, hydroelectric power, and biomass fuels. Emerging technologies include tidal and geothermal power, while there are several other technologies still in the experimental stage. The cost, ability to balance load to demand, and environmental impacts of these technologies varies significantly, complicating both economics and public acceptance, as briefly summarized in the table.