The 2nd European Energy Conference (E2C) took place in Maastricht, The Netherlands, from 17 to 20 April. It was organised by the European Science Foundation, the European Materials Research Society and the European Physical Society, under the patronage of Günther Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Energy. About 400 participants from all over the world attended the conference with 40 invited and keynote lectures. The format included plenary morning sessions and afternoon technical symposia on system aspects and sustainability, sciences for energy, primary energy conversion, energy networks and storage and efficient end use of energy. This biennial...