The impact of new technologies on the future energy supply

Abstract

The foreseeable depletion of the oil and gas resources have pointed out may lead to a situation where supply cannot satisfy demand as soon as in the late eighties, requires a fundamental change of our energy supply pattern. The key technical issues lying ahead are the timely utilisation of new energy sources, the development of new technologies which increase the application and substitution potential of coal and nuclear energy, and last, but not least, to implement measures and technologies which make better use of the energy. In the industrialised countries, a broad spectrum of new energy production, conversion, transport, storage and end-use technologies is being developed. The most relevant of these technologies are described in this report and use the case of the Federal Republic of Germany in their present state of development; their supply and substitution potential and their economic aspects are discussed.