Burning metal to make clean energy

An image showing a flame

Source: © Bart van Overbeeke

An unlikely sounding technology that is greener than you might think

Hydrogen, fuel cells and batteries are perhaps the most developed and well-known alternative energy carriers today. But there are many other ideas that could also contribute to a cleaner energy economy. One concept that is beginning to attract more interest from the research community is the possibility of using metals as fuels.