17. Imagining the future

We face two time scales in responding to the energy challenge. We need to rapidly reduce CO ₂ emissions to reduce the increase in the greenhouse effect and, on a longer time scale, we need to gradually substitute fossil fuels with other energy sources where they can be replaced at an economically acceptable cost.

Energy is going to become more and more expensive. We need to save it and use it better. To achieve this, education and training are essential. We'll need all sources of energy, but that may not be enough. For a given application, we need to choose the most efficient energy source. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and we're moving towards a made-to-measure approach where intelligence is just as important as technology.

We're going to need more and more electricity, but it has...