Residential buildings consume about a quarter of all energy (including electrical and thermal) in industrialized countries and emit around 20% of the carbon emissions there. Older and outdated heating and cooling technology causes high energy demand and, depending on building type, secondary causes can include ventilation and lighting. Technology is available to mitigate high energy consumption, and to enable the use of renewable or environmentally friendly energy, partly generated locally.

Commercial energy storage has moved from the margins to the mainstream as it fosters flexibility in our smarter, increasingly integrated energy systems. Natural gas has been identified by many as the fuel to take us to the no-carbon horizon; where a hydrogen economy waits on development. These two actors are already connected in precursor applications as transitional solutions for hydrogen handling and transportation are sought ahead of a fully established hydrogen infrastructure.

A sustainable community energy system is an approach to supplying a local community - ranging from a few homes or farms to entire cities - with its energy requirements from renewable energy or high-efficiency co-generation energy sources. Such systems are frequently based on wind power, solar power, biomass, either singly or in combination. Community energy projects have been growing in numbers in several key regions.