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We are on the cusp of an exciting clean energy future!

Climate change is one of the defining challenges of the 21^st century. Turbulence in weather patterns and sea currents will continue to increase global temperatures and raise sea levels. Extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, storms, and flooding are increasing in frequency. Such climate disasters threaten the health, homes, and livelihoods of billions of people across the globe.

The magnitude of these impacts is dependent on what we do now to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Globally, the energy sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. We use energy all the time, to heat our homes, power our electronic devices, or get around in vehicles. Access to energy is a strong determinant of quality of life, it is critical in providing warmth, cleaning our water, producing and distributing our food, and powering our machines and devices. 

The Sun is our main source of renewable energy. The radiation from sunlight that reaches Earth provides light, heat for warmth, and can be converted to electrical energy through photovoltaic devices. Differences in how sunlight is absorbed across the Earth’s surface generates gradients in temperatures that cause winds and drive weather patterns. Essentially all sources of energy used by the human population up to the 18^th century were renewable. Plants and animals provided food and biomass materials, such as wood, dung, oil, and fat, were used for lighting, heating, and cooking.

In Britain, due to the shortage of biomass materials such as wood and charcoal (all of the trees had been chopped down), the mining and burning of coal steadily grew from the 12^th century onwards. The use of coal accelerated during the industrial revolution, when the higher temperatures possible with burning coal found application in the smelting of iron and in the powerful steam engines that were at the heart of this revolution.

Crude oil had been used for millennia, but only in small quantities for use in lamps and as a lubricant. The modern oil industry started in the United States in the mid-19^th century, when effective oil drilling methods were developed.

The energy supplied by fossil fuels literally drove the industrial revolution, transforming society.

Over the last 200 years we have become reliant on fossil fuels for our energy needs. However, burning coal, oil, and natural gas emits huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and produces harmful pollutants that damage our health and the environment. Furthermore, the way in which the fossil fuel-based economy developed over the last two centuries has driven large divides and inequalities in energy access across the global population.

While the dangers of burning fossil fuel on the climate were warned about over 100 years ago, it is only in the last 50 years that the dangers of burning fossil fuels have started to become acknowledged.

It would be easy to carry on as we are, but this would accelerate climate change, intensify the extreme weather events, and deepen the already alarming inequalities. Or we can change and be intentional about how we build a cleaner and more just energy economy, one that reduces pollution, improves access, and provides a resilient foundation upon which can build solutions for the impacts of climate change.

The global population is predicted to increase to 10 billion by 2050, and as countries develop the demand for energy will increase. Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro power do not have the damaging consequences of pumping carbon into our atmosphere and offer the potential of clean, affordable, and sustainable future. To meet this growing demand energy industries of the 21^st century need an entirely new infrastructure that produces more energy in a more efficient and affordable manner. This can enable an improvement in the security of the supply by developing a grid built on domestic and stable energy sources.

The scale, urgency, and complexity of the energy challenge and the intense competition in the energy marketplace necessitates a comprehensive and holistic approach for developing new approaches. That is where the value of the perspectives offered by the RASEI community come to the forefront. By building a hub that generates inter-disciplinary teams and fosters an environment of collaboration we consider a diverse cross-section of factors and perspectives in developing holistic interdisciplinary solutions.