Summary and highlights

Abstract

Energy means development, and access to energy and electricity should be possible for everyone. The energy challenge for the years to come is to have a sustainable energy supply and after the week spent in Varenna it is clear that “sustainable” cannot be identified with green gas emission reduction only: it has to be an energy supply system respectful of the environment and the humankind, able to provide reliable and affordable energy to the whole world population. This is definitely not an easy challenge: no single energy technology will suffice to safeguard our future and any possible solution has to be exploited at its best, from renewable to nuclear energy, from clean fossil fuels to biofuels. Last but not least, it is the energy efficiency that, given the actual technology, may give the most important and immediate contribution to this challenge. Meanwhile researchers must examine a broad range of options and develop different kinds of technologies: only new investments on R&D can allow to meet the growing demand for energy in a responsible, equitable, and sustainable way.