Research
Energy and sustainable development
Energy transition
Meeting the world's future energy demand is going to be a major challenge. There is little doubt that we will eventually change to a new energy system. Timing, however, is still an issue of concern. The drivers of this change are a combination of the geology and geopolitics of fossil fuels, the rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and oceans, and the options made available by new technologies. It is predicted that the energy system of the future will continue to show substantial diversity with no single primary source or single energy carrier.
The need to ensure a long-term supply of energy creates a renewed interest in the large existing non-conventional hydrocarbon resources (heavy oil, tar sands, gas hydrates, etc.) and for coal, which can provide centuries of consumption at the present rate. Key technologies which make it possible to transform these different resources into clean fuels and energy while minimising CO2 emissions are required. Will clean fossil energy be the technologists' answer to global warming? Will wind, biomass and solar win over hearts and minds sooner than might be expected? Or will nuclear energy, in particular nuclear fusion, provide a solution?
The coming decades are described as a transition period for the energy sector, a transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources. However, opinions on the length of the transition, the technologies used during the transition period and the kind of sustainable technologies to be used in the future differ greatly. Innovation policies differ between governments and institutions. CIEP will provide an overview of transition technologies, future fuels and the current state of research, and will discuss the results in a wider policy context.
Related Publications
Related Activities
- Januari 24, 2006
- CIEP Future Fuels Seminar "Nuclear Energy and EU Energy Policy"
- December 9, 2005
- CIEP Future Fuels Seminar "An International Market for Biofuels?"
- June 27, 2005
- Seminar "Transition Policies in the EU and the Role of GtL and CtL"
- June 15, 2004
- Energy and Environment: Looking at possibilities and dilemmas at the beginning of the Dutch Presidency of the European Union 2004