Houston 1998

Theme

Energy resources and technology will be vital factors in shaping economic and societal progress into the next millennium. The influences of these two factors will depend on their interactions with a number of other important determinants, particularly environmental policies, political and legal developments, international trade and economics, changes in standard of living, demographics, developments in communications and information technologies and rates of industrialisation. The theme of the 17th Congress of the World Energy Council, Energy and Technology: Sustaining World Development into the Next Millennium, applied broadly to societal, environmental and economic matters as influenced by, and as they influence, technology development. Progress toward achieving energy and economic sustainability may be divided into four overlapping states, as described below. The congress had four Divisions, each consisting of a Keynote Address and an Issues Papers Session, to debate the potential developments in each stage. First, the current stage, lasting possibly some two decades to about 2015 or so, will bring improvements in the economic production and utilisation of conventional fossil and non-fossil energy resources and in existing technologies that currently provide the basis for our energy systems. Division 1 addressed what affordable technologies are available now to meet immediate energy needs using current energy resources in a way that is consistent with longer-term environmental demands as well as how energy industry restructuring may influence energy services. In the second and overlapping stage, extending perhaps over an additional 15-25 years to around 2040, advanced technologies and innovative systems will be applied to enhance the development and utilisation of the conventional energy resources used today. Institutional mechanisms to deploy advanced technologies to developing countries will be addressed. Division 2 considered what advances in technology can be applied to conventional energy systems to minimise environmental impacts and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of resource development, delivery and end use. The third stage, which will have a substantial overlap with the second stage, will be much longer lasting. In this stage, conventional resource limitations, and societal, economic and environmental requirements will probably necessitate the supplemental utilisation of new energy resources not now in widespread use, as well as innovative methods of energy delivery and utilisation. Division 3 evaluated the potential for developing unconventional or emerging energy resources, new concepts in energy service and use, novel systems and even more advanced technology approaches. The fourth and final stage of development will be the emergence and maintenance of viable economically and environmentally sustainable energy systems, to beyond 2050. Division 4 assessed what balance between short-term imperatives and longer-term possibilities may enable energy and technology to sustain long-term world economic and social development. The following matrix shows the inter-relationship of the Division topics and the Congress theme.