5 steps towards a clean energy future

The author contends that renewable energy should be viewed as an economic opportunity rather than just an environmental necessity. Achieving energy security requires a diversified mix of renewables—including solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectricity, and biomass—supported by a temporary phase of natural gas. The text highlights the plummeting costs of solar and wind power, the role of smart grids and batteries (such as Tesla's Powerwall) in solving storage issues, and the necessity of pairing renewable deployment with energy efficiency upgrades to outdated systems. Finally, it emphasizes the need for legal frameworks and government ambition, citing the COP21 treaty as a key driver for reducing CO2 emissions.

• Energy security cannot be achieved by a single energy source but requires a strategic combination of thermal and photovoltaic solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectricity, and biomass, with natural gas serving as a temporary bridge to 100% renewables.
• Technological progress in storage and smart grids is enabling the worldwide deployment of renewables, exemplified by Tesla's Powerwall home batteries and electric vehicles.
• Renewable energy costs are falling rapidly, making them cost-competitive; for instance, solar photovoltaic module prices in 2014 were approximately 75% lower than those at the end of 2009.
• The transition to clean energy must be coupled with urgent improvements in energy efficiency, as current systems for lighting, heating, cooling, and distribution are outdated.
• Establishing legal frameworks to replace polluting technologies is essential to avoid competition distortion and reduce CO2 emissions, with the COP21 treaty serving as a significant catalyst.

APA

Piccard, B. (2016). 5 steps towards a clean energy future. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/forum-institutional/five-key-steps-towards-a-clean-energy-future/

Chicago

Piccard, Bertrand. 5 steps towards a clean energy future. World Economic Forum, 2016. https://www.weforum.org/stories/forum-institutional/five-key-steps-towards-a-clean-energy-future/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Piccard |first1=Bertrand |title=5 steps towards a clean energy future |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=17 January 2016 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/forum-institutional/five-key-steps-towards-a-clean-energy-future/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{piccard2016steps, author = {Piccard, Bertrand}, title = {{5 steps towards a clean energy future}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/forum-institutional/five-key-steps-towards-a-clean-energy-future/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }