Sustainable energy development (May 2011) with some game-changers

This paper presents the opening talk that briefly surveys the present (May 2011) situation in sustainable energy development. Recent estimates and forecasts of the oil, gas, coal resources and their reserve/ production ratio, nuclear and renewable energy potential, and energy uses are surveyed. A brief discussion of the status, sustainability (economic, environmental and social impact), and prospects of fossil, nuclear and renewable energy use, and of power generation is presented. Comments about energy use in general, with more detailed focus on recently emerging game-changing developments of postponement of “peak oil”, nuclear power future following the disaster in Japan, and effects of the recent global economy downturn of global sustainability, are brought up. Ways to resolve the problem of the availability, cost, and sustainability of energy resources alongside the rapidly rising demand are discussed. The author’s view of the promising energy R&D areas, their potential, foreseen improvements and their time scale, and last year’s trends in U.S. government energy funding are presented. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.