When it comes to futurists, Michio Kaku is one of those whose predictions tend to read like the Hollywood science fiction that for decades has coloured our view of what lies ahead.

But the 71-year-old theoretical physicist’s forecasts are shaped by decades of his own research on quantum mechanics and string theory, and informed by the work of leading scientists who he consults in writing his books like his latest, The Future of Humanity.

He may not see singularity coming as soon as 2045 as his contemporary Ray Kurzweil does, at which point machines become smarter than us humans. But in the course of this century, Kaku, a best-selling author and professor at the City University of New York, has us making contact with extraterrestrials, colonising Mars and figuring out how to stop the ageing process.

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Like the late physicist Stephen Hawking, he imagines a significant future for humanity off Earth. But arriving in New Zealand for a lecture tour following the release of the United Nation’s gloomy scientific report about the rapid pace of climate change, he’s also an optimist for our chances here on Earth.

Hope lies in super batteries

We are on the right track converting to renewable energy sources, particularly solar power, says Kaku, but the current bottleneck is in storing that energy in sufficient quantities for use when the sun isn’t out.

“The glimmer of hope is the super battery could be coming around the corner,” he says.

“Bright engineers are working on batteries to increase their efficiency, portability and power. In fact, prices have been dropping seven per cent, per year. So the solar revolution could become a reality if we can make cheap, portable, durable storage batteries.”

Over one hundred years ago, pioneering innovators and friends Thomas Edison and Henry Ford briefly experimented with electric cars, before gasoline-powered motors won out and fueled the automobile revolution and the huge success of Ford’s Model T.

“The battery could not keep up with the efficiencies of gasoline,” says Kaku. Moore’s Law may allow for computer processing power to double roughly every 18 months. But the same hasn’t held true for battery technology. The key now to finally weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is battery technology that can allow us to more efficiently harness the power of the sun.