This review provides a detailed account of the key contributions within the energy communities with specific emphasis on thermochemically based hybrid energy systems for liquid transportation fuels. Specifically, the advances in the indirect liquefaction of coal to liquid (CTL), natural gas to liquid (GTL), biomass to liquid (BTL), coal and natural gas to liquid (CGTL), coal and biomass to liquid (CBTL), natural gas and biomass to liquid (BGTL), and coal, biomass, and natural gas to liquid (CBGTL) are presented. This review is the first work that provides a comprehensive description of the contributions for the single-feedstock energy systems and the hybrid feedstock energy systems, for single stand-alone processes and energy supply chain networks. The focus is on contributions in (a) conceptual design, (b) process simulation, (c) economic analysis, (d) heat integration, (e) power integration, (f) water integration, (g) process synthesis, (h) life cycle analysis, (i) sensitivity analysis, (j) uncertainty issues, and (k) supply chain. A classification of the contributions based on the products, as well as different research groups is also provided. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.