Energy is at the centre of our modern daily lives. Our lives are filled with interactions and processes within the built environment, the manufacture of goods, transport, and communication. Three issues emerge as the global demand for energy is rapidly growing:
- Ensuring a reliable supply of energy as required by all consumers
- Ensuring affordable energy for households and for businesses that compete in global markets
- Minimising the environmental impacts and ensuring sustainability of energy production and consumption
At the core of these interconnected issues lies innovation and the accelerated deployment of low cost renewable energy, energy efficiency, electrification and digitalisation. Therefore, the cornerstones of the energy transition are:
- Choosing renewable energy technologies for the generation of electricity, heat and transport energy
- Utilising the energy efficiency potential to its full extent in the supply and demand of energy
- Shifting towards modern and clean energy technologies
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015 provide a powerful framework for international cooperation to achieve a sustainable future for the planet. As one of the 17 SDGs, sustainable energy is central to the success of Agenda 2030. The global goal on energy – SDG 7 – aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.