There are certain technology challenges which have waited in vain over several decades for a satisfactory solution. The economical storage of electricity is one of them. But intensive work in the meantime is driving advances along various avenues.

The sciences of industrial ecology, complex systems, and adaptive management are intimately related, since they deal with flows and dynamic interdependencies between system elements of various kinds. As such, the tool kit of complex systems science could enrich our understanding of how industrial ecosystems might evolve over time.

Power lines stretching across continents would allow us to ditch fossil fuels for good

The US electricity grid needs to evolve and requires fresh standards of communication. (Editorial)