Steps towards a 2000 Watt-Society. Developing a White Paper on Research & Development of Energy-Efficient Technologies

In the coming decades, the threat and consequences of climate change and of the reconcentration of crude oil production in the Near East will compel industrialised nations to make much more efficient use of energy. R&D that helps realise energy efficiency potentials is likely to be regarded as important in scientific, entrepreneurial, and political realms. Demand for highly energy-efficient technologies will rise steeply, and firms that can provide them will prosper. The identification of energy-efficient technologies and related energy conservation potentials undertaken in this pre-study is a first step toward designing a R&D strategy that is consistent with the need to evolve towards a 2000 Watt per capita society. Reaching this level by 2050 implies reducing primary energy use from 1200 to 460 PJ per year, despite a projected 65% economic expansion..............................