Libro

FOREWORD

Aristotle used the Greek word "ENERGEIA" for the divine spirit or for the "effectiveness to turn what is possible into reality". Later in the 19^th century, the word ENERGY was defined as the "ability to do work". The latter definition holds up to today.
The fifth FORUM of the World Academy of Ceramics took place in Chianciano Terme, Italy from July 6-8, 2008. This Forum addressed energy supply and demand, energy conversion systems, and the role ceramics, and materials in general, play today and potentially in future in morphing today's fossil fuel dominated energy scenario into a more sustainable one. It is clear the world needs affordable and clean energy without harming the environment. At the same time of the Forum 2008, tripling of world market crude oil prices took place. Facts from climate reports about global warming due to C02 emissions, once more, made clear the urgency of the subject. While there is no doubt that the almost exclusive dependency on fossil fuels will still persist over the next foreseeable future, it is also obvious that conservation of energy, better use of fossil energy carriers, nuclear energy technology and the development of systems harvesting renewable energies must be intensified. It is also important that we not only develop clean energy technologies but also have to make them more affordable and accessible. Material Science, and especially Ceramic Science and Technology offer large potentials in many of these areas.
The Forum "Ceramic Materials in Energy Systems for Sustainable Development" aimed to highlight some facts and figures of today's and future energy demand and supply. It was pointed out that the best way to promote energy security, while protecting the environment, is to promote clean and affordable energy technologies. The Forum outlined the orders of magnitude concerning energy and sustainability and highlighted the potentials and limits of different energy carriers and conversion systems. It showed perspectives towards new energy conversion systems and the related Materials Science and Technology needs and potentials. We will need a diversified approach that includes conventional, advanced, and renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies. It is recognized that new energy conversion systems and energy carrier technologies, as well as their related material science solutions, will develop on very different time scales. A whole new range of different energy conversion systems emerges, diversifying geographically as well as differentiating in time that gradually supplements, and eventually replaces, some of the existing fossil fuel based technologies.
Recognizing the size of the challenge as well as the potential what Material Science, and in particular Ceramic Science and Technology can offer to future energy conversion systems, stimulated our minds and triggered our imaginations. The Forum 2008 clearly showed: There is plenty "to turn what is possible into reality" already today and finally, we will be "able to do the work" for the future.