ABSTRACT
The energy choices made in the near future are among the most important of any choices in human history. Sustainability considerations reflect priorities in our society as well as our attitude toward future generations. Management of a sustainable energy future is only possible if we develop an overall technical, social, and political strategy that combines renewable energy development, energy conservation, and adaptation of our lifestyle to greatly reduce energy consumption (Kreith & Krumdieck, 2013; Rojey, 2009). One of the most important international studies of sustainable energy was the World Commission on Energy and the Environment headed by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former prime minister of Norway, in 1983. The goal of this commission was to formulate a realistic proposal that allows human progress, but without depriving future generations of the resources they will need. The outcome of this study was summarized in an important book entitled Our Common Future (Brundtland, 1987); it concluded that the current development of human progress in both developed and developing countries is unsustainable because it uses an increasing amount of environmental resources, especially fossil fuels. The Brundtland Commission’s definition of sustainable development is as valid today as it was in 1983: “Sustainable developments should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The traditional assumption of economists that when we run short of any one resource or material, engineers will always find a substitute is no longer valid for future planning.
