Challenges and Opportunities on the Path to a New Energy Future

Reid Detchon, Executive Director, Energy Future Coalition. The Energy Future Coalition is a broad-based, non-partisan alliance that seeks to bridge the differences among business, labor, and environmental groups and identify energy policy options with broad political support. The Energy Future Coalition works closely with the United Nations Foundation on energy and climate policy, especially energy efficiency and bioenergy issues. www.energyfuturecoalition.org Mr. Detchon previously served as Director of Special Projects in Washington for the Turner Foundation, managing a portfolio of major grants aimed at increasing the effectiveness of environmental advocacy and encouraging federal action to avert global climate change. He also spent six years at Podesta Associates, a government relations and public affairs firm in Washington, D.C., where he was a Principal. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Detchon served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Previously he was Principal Speechwriter for Vice President George H. W. Bush. Mr. Detchon worked for five years in the U.S. Senate, advising Senator John Danforth of Missouri on energy and environmental issues and serving as his Legislative Director. He was a reporter for the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune from 1974 to 1980. He is a graduate of Yale University.Jay Hakes, Director, Carter Presidential Library. Most recently, Dr. Hakes has served as Director for Policy and Research, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, 2010-11. He serves as Director of the Carter Presidential Library, a position he’s held since 2000. From 1993 to 2000, Dr. Hakes served as Administrator, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to EIA, Dr. Hakes served as assistant to Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus during the Carter administration, Director of the Governor’s Energy Office for Florida Governor (later U.S. Senator). Dr. Hakes is the author of A Declaration of Energy Independence (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008). He has testified before congressional committees more than 25 times and has appeared in national print and electronic media on numerous occasions to discuss energy issues. Formerly a professor of political science at the University of New Orleans, he holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Duke University. He is a graduate of Wheaton College (lllinois).Runtime: 103:20 minutes.Clean Energy and Clean Technology continue to play increasingly significant roles in meeting future energy needs as evidenced by the growth of numerous markets across the US and globally. As an example, in 2011 worldwide spending on solar projects totaled $136 billion while US spending equaled$56 billion. At the same time worldwide investments from venture capital, corporate RD&D and government R&D sources in the development of Clean Tech exceeded $10 billion. (Bloomberg New Energy Finance) The use of Clean Technology has not been without debate. Is there a path for Republicans and Democrats, government and industry, and the US and the rest of the world to come together and advance the role for Clean Tech

More heat and light

One hundred years before the advent of modern power systems, William Blake in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell argued with the Devil asserting that "Energy is Eternal Delight". That delight however, remains beyond the reach of the two to three billion of people disadvantaged by a lack of modern energy services--a number that has remained relatively unchanged over recent decades. This is arguably the most disturbing of insights from an examination of global energy-use trends, and a simple, clear justification for a political prioritisation of the issue. It is widely accepted that a lack of access to energy services is a fundamental hindrance to human, social, and economic development. Addressing it comprehensively would have enormous multiple benefits. However, current efforts are woefully insufficient in scale, scope, and design, and attempting to address the issue solely as part of wider poverty reduction policies is likely to be sub-optimal. We discuss energy policy (with a focus on energy security) as an effective vehicle for large-scale action in providing modern, clean energy services. To this end, we outline specific and limited examples of where international cooperation could play a role supporting national actions and ensuring universal access.Energy access Energy poverty Energy security