Risø energy report 1. New and emerging technologies - options for the future

All over the world, increasing energy consumption, liberalisation of energy markets and the need to take action on climate change are producing new challenges for the energy sector. At the same time there is increasing pressure for research, newtechnology and industrial products to be socially acceptable and to generate prosperity. The result is a complex and dynamic set of conditions affecting decisions on investment in research and new energy technology. To meet these challenges in thedecades ahead, industrialists and policymakers need appropriate analyses of energy systems, plus knowledge of trends for existing technologies and prospects for emerging technologies. This is the background for this first Risø Energy Report, which setsout the global, European and Danish energy scene together with trends in development and emerging technologies. The report is the first in a new series from Risø National Laboratory. The global energy developments are presented based on the latestavailable information from authoritative sources like IEA, WEC, World Energy Assessment etc. Some of the major challenges are presented in terms of the changing energy markets in all regions, the focus on environmental concerns in the industrialisedcountries, and energy for development and access to energy for the poor in developing countries. The report presents the status of R&D in progress for supply technologies. The various technologies are assessed with respect to status, trends andperspectives for the technology, and international R&D plans. For the technologies where Risø is undertaking R&D this is highlighted in a separate section. Recent studies of emerging energy technologies from international organisations and leadingresearch organizations are reviewed. There are reviews of national research activities on new energy technologies in a number of countries as well as in Risø National Laboratory. Conclusions for Danish energy supply, Danish industry, and Danish energyresearch are drawn as well as the implications for the global energy scene. The report is thus based on internationally recognized scientific material, and it is fully referenced and refereed by an international independent expert panel. Our target groupis colleagues, collaborating partners, customers, funding organisations, Danish ministries and international organisations including the EU, IEA and UN.