Abstract
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With the financial crisis hitting the world economy in 2008,
the boom of gas shale and fracking in the US, and the recent
move toward outdated technologies in some parts of the
world, tackling many of the challenges facing humanity in the
21st century has been relegated to second place. The supply
of clean energy is one of those challenges. The test facing us
is how to sustain economic growth while dealing with limited
primary resources and minimizing environmental pollution.
Energy is a fundamental necessity for almost everything
needed to sustain us, from food production to drug design
and safe drinking water. Our quality of life is reflected by the
human development index, which strongly correlates with the
availability of energy