Industry Agenda Energy Harnessing: New Solutions for Sustainability and Growing Demand

The report analyzes the transition of the global energy landscape, emphasizing the need to shift from fossil fuels to renewables and improve energy efficiency. It highlights the role of shale gas as a transition fuel, the challenges of grid-scale and e-mobility energy storage, and the differing energy trajectories of Europe and China. The document argues that technological advances alone are insufficient and must be supported by political will and collaborative innovation across industries.

• Global primary energy demand is projected to increase by 52.5% between 2009 and 2035, with non-OECD countries experiencing a surge of 65.8%.
• Shale gas has significantly impacted the US market, reducing natural gas prices to approximately US$ 2-3/mmbtu and positioning the US to become a net exporter of natural gas by around 2022.
• Renewable energy sources like wind and solar face a primary challenge of intermittency, requiring advanced energy storage and smart grids to ensure reliability.
• Grid-scale energy storage is currently dominated by pumped storage hydropower (PSH), which accounts for 99% of bulk storage worldwide, though other technologies like CAES and batteries are being developed.
• The automotive industry's transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is hindered by high battery costs and low energy density; however, a 60% decline in battery prices is expected by 2025.
• Energy efficiency is a critical lever for sustainability, with buildings, industry, and transport being the largest consumers, accounting for 33.8%, 28.1%, and 27.3% of final world energy consumption respectively.
• Europe's energy strategy is defined by the "20-20-20" targets for 2020: reducing GHG emissions by 20%, increasing renewable energy share to 20%, and improving energy efficiency by 20%.
• China faces significant challenges in its energy transition, including low energy efficiency per unit of GDP and a heavy reliance on coal, despite targets in its 12th Five-Year Plan to increase non-fossil fuel resources to 11% of primary energy consumption.
• Collaborative innovation, involving partnerships between industry, government, and academia, is essential to reduce the high costs and risks associated with developing new energy technologies.

APA

King, S. D., & Grey, C. (2013). Industry Agenda Energy Harnessing: New Solutions for Sustainability and Growing Demand. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EN_EnergyHarnessing_Report_2013.pdf

Chicago

King, Sir David, and Clare Grey. Industry Agenda Energy Harnessing: New Solutions for Sustainability and Growing Demand. World Economic Forum, 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EN_EnergyHarnessing_Report_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=King |first1=Sir David |last2=Grey |first2=Clare |title=Industry Agenda Energy Harnessing: New Solutions for Sustainability and Growing Demand |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=October 2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EN_EnergyHarnessing_Report_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{king2013industry, author = {King, Sir David and Grey, Clare}, title = {{Industry Agenda Energy Harnessing: New Solutions for Sustainability and Growing Demand}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EN_EnergyHarnessing_Report_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }