The World's Energy Problem and What We Can Do About It

Among the world's most serious concerns are national security, which is tied to energy security, economic prosperity, and the social, and the potentially dire risks of climate change. At the core of these problems is need for sustainable creation and consumption of energy. Government policies are needed to accelerate the deployment of energy efficiencies and conservation and stimulate the innovation of new technologies. We also need new scientific discoveries that can transform the entire landscape of energy demand and supply. After briefly describing aspects of the energy problem, the remainder of the talk will describe some areas of research that may lead to transformative technologies.