Introduction

Energy and Sustainability 2013 is the fourth International Conference in this series, following the success of the first meeting held at the Wessex Institute of Technology in the New Forest, UK (2007); the second in Bologna, Italy (2009) and the third in Alicante, Spain (2011).

The world’s economic system is driven by energy. Few of the advances made in the past two centuries would have been possible without the large-scale exploitation of fossil fuels. Resources depletion and predictions of severe environmental effects deriving from continued use of fossil fuels are spurring renewed interest in sustainable energy. The effort that will be required to shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to one hinged on sustainability is massive, requiring advances in the basic sciences (materials, electrochemistry and heat transfer to name a few) through to systems engineering (buildings, electric grids, transportation) and all the way to international policymaking.

The evolution of new energy technologies and systems cannot follow the compartmentalized model that has worked so well in the past, because of the time constraints imposed by oil depletion and climate change. All parts of the new energy economy are strongly interlinked, and researchers in the field must be aware of the entire enterprise to maximize their own contribution. This conference offers an opportunity for scientists, professionals, policymakers and other parties to review recent developments in this rapidly changing environment.

The conference will cover topics related to sustainability in energy production, energy storage and distribution and energy management.