Scientists have been looking into the practicalities of making a green grid possible, an article in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Chemical Review shows.
The green grid would involve harnessing solar and wind power in order to deliver energy, however there are several issues that researchers need to tackle before this plan can become a reality.
As neither solar or wind power can be constant sources of energy, the problem of storage needs to be solved, scientist Zhenguo Yang and his colleagues highlight.
They add that such storage also needs to be cost-efficient in order to keep up with increasing future energy demands.
After analysing more than 300 studies, the researchers state they have identified several options that could provide a solution to this issue.
These include sodium-ion batteries and redox flow, they claim.
With 163,000 members, the ACS is the largest scientific society in the world and hosts 39 journals.