According to forecasts made by the World Energy Conference and other organizations, fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas will be, in the foreseeable future, our main source for power generation. It is, therefore, very important to use these non-renewable resources with great care and utilize them only in highly efficient plants. This not only conserves our limited reserves but also cuts emissions, thus protecting life, the environment and climatic stability. Technology development will be in particularly high demand during periods of rising fuel prices. To be properly positioned, the electricity markets as well as the available energy conversion technologies and their future development perspectives must be monitored [Power Plant Concepts for Fossil Fuels, VDI-Berichte Nr. 1029, 1993, S. 3; Comparative evaluation of power plants with regard to technical, ecological and economical aspects, in: ASME TURBO EXPO 2001, New Orleans]. An overview is given in the following of state-of-the-art and future power generation technologies, and their development potential, as well as environmental and economic considerations. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.