Renewable energy and energy storage is the future. Lithium Ion batteries will be replaced with improved technology in the next 2 decades. Renewable energy can be captured on a more localized basis reducing the risk of large regional blackouts due to storms, terrorists, etc. New products like the Solar City shingles are a really interesting and as efficiency improves and prices come down, these will become a practical solution for homeowners just like LED bulbs were $10 to $15 a bulb just a few years ago and had a 5 to 10 year payback timeframe but now I can buy one for < $2 per bulb.