Science Plan on Sustainable Energy
The existing energy supply and demand situation means that conventional sources, such as oiland coal, will be depleted at an alarming rate. Growing concern about the environmental impact of the various energy resources places restrictions on their use. The Kyoto Protocol requires participating countries to reduce carbon emissions drastically over the next decade. To improve the energy situation and make it sustainable, serious efforts need to be made to advance knowledge in the following directions:
• new and energy efficient methods for recovery, power generation and distribution
• energy conservation techniques,
• increased utilization of renewable energy sources, and
• development and utilization of emerging energy sources and techniques.
There exists a huge additional potential for conservation and reduction in energy consumption in both industrial and domestic sectors by using energy efficient designs and products along with improvements in energy storage and management practices. In parallel with these developments there needs to be an awareness of the resultant social impacts and associated social policy changes. In particular the affect of new energy source utilisation on land use, food production, transport and visual environment will need to be addressed along with technician capacity building and public information.
Sustainable energy is regarded here as energy to meet our needs today without compromising the ability of present and future generations to meet their energy needs and without overloading the ecosystem. It can thus be regarded as energy for sustainable development. Sustainable energy sources and energy management considered here for Asia and the Pacific region include: solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, wave, biomass, energy from waste, ocean energy, and energy efficiency. The science plan reviews the current position for each of these energy sources and recommends priority areas for research and development.
The Asia- Pacific region with its rapidly growing energy demand should utilize its abundant natural resources to move away from heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Governments in Asia-Pacific region have started considering sustainable energy as serious alternative to conventional fuels. It has been estimated that investment in the sustainable energy industry would generate more jobs per megawatt (almost 10 times) than is the case for the conventional energy industry.
This will require investment in education and training to provide the technical support and development skills along with increased public awareness of the environmental sustainability issues and efficient energy use strategies. If the new and emerging energy technologies are to make a serious contribution to sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region then investment, intellectual effort and capacity building need to be planned for the short and long term. The following are a summary of the proposed areas of endeavour, identified by ICSU regional committee for Asia Pacific to achieve this aim and should be interpreted broadly and positively by researchers, funding agencies and governments.
• Exploration assessment and Mapping of resource potential.
• Improvement of existing technologies, manufacturing processes and mass production.
• Fault prediction and protection.
• Use of new, improved and smart materials and techniques.
• Resource and waste management.
• Waste treatment technologies including biochemical.
• Use of traditional technologies and best practice for low energy buildings.
• Development of guidelines on low energy buildings, culture and new.
