ABSTRACT
The following discussion of a transformation of the global energy system identifies technology options and presents promising solutions, some of which are little known. A great array of technologies is available at all levels, from primary energy generation to energy services. Their deployment and mix is evaluated here from a sustainability perspective. This analysis starts with an examination of the available energy sources and carriers. The realizable and sustainable potential (see definitions in Box 3.1-1) for fossil, nuclear and renewable energy is presented, conversion technologies are described, and environmental and social impacts evaluated. Moreover, the current and future costs of the technologies are discussed. While an increasing shortage of supplies will make conventional forms of energy more expensive in the long term, an opposite trend of continuous cost reductions is foreseeable for renewables. Any evaluation should therefore not be limited to the present. The analysis delivers the boundary conditions defining the realm within which the Council’s exemplary path for a sustainable transformation of energy systems can be elaborated (cf. Chapter 4).
