Due to the amazing progress of science and technology, humanity has drastically improved its quality of life in the past 100 years. But this progress has left us dependent on electricity, which is still primarily generated by polluting fossil fuels. Thankfully, scientists have made great strides in harnessing the forces of nature, such as sun, wind and water, and converting it into renewable energy sources. As the energy industry slowly changes to a more distributed generation format combined with our increasingly mobile way of life, batteries as an energy storage medium will continue to grow in importance. Today, batteries are indispensable for our laptop computers, our portable electronics, and even in our cars, communication towers, and factories.