Glasses can be engineered with a wide range of properties and in a variety of forms that make them important materials for current and emerging energy and environmental technologies. The increasing worldwide demand for sustainable, environmentally friendly energy supplies, and for access to clean water, will provide glass scientists and manufacturers opportunities to develop new materials for new markets. Glass applications for solar, wind and nuclear power generation are reviewed, and recent research on new glassy materials for super-capacitors and electrochemical devices is discussed, with an emphasis on the needs that will drive glass research through the year 2020.