Materials for renewable energy will be the special topic of the International School of Solid State Physics, to be held on July 18–28, 2012 in Erice, Italy. Lynn Orr (USA) will provide a global overview and and John Poate (USA) will cover the topic of the critical materials issue for the energy world. Other special lecture topics include solar water splitting (Laura Meda, Italy), carbon capture and recycling for energy storage (Jacques Amouroux, France), and the smart grid (Dave Ginley, USA), along with ample coverage of various aspects of photovoltaics. Additional lectures will address various energy sectors such as wind, geothermal, and nuclear power.

The directors of the course are Ginley and Poate, Emanuele Rimini (Italy), Abdelilah Slaoui (France), and Antonio Terrasi (Italy). The course is endorsed by the Materials Research Society and the European Materials Research Society.

The registration deadline is May 31, 2012. See website www.ct.infn.it/~terrasi/erice2012.html for more information.