Research on solarthermal processing and the need Sol alternative energy sources have reached the point where efforts to develop some industrial processes and expand research to suggest others are at least desirable, if not imperative. This paper presents a rationale for such an effort, describes the underlying thermodynamics, and summarizes much of the the research which has been conducted in the years since the end of World War II. Major emphasis is placed on the work that has been done since the imposition of the 1973 oil embargo and the present.