Energy flows and losses - the industrial countries in the iron age of history in the energy sector

The paper first outlines the challenges the global energy system is facing. It then summarises the present knowledge on energy efficient solutions in all energy using sectors from primary energy to useful energy and, more importantly, from useful energy to energy services (material efficiency and substitution). The examination of these potentials considers the lifetimes of manufactured artefacts: buildings and infrastructure that will save or waste energy within the next 60 to 70 years. The result - a reduction of present energy use per capita by a factor of 3, labelled as a 2000 Watt/capita society, is shortly discussed as well as organisational measures and entrepreneurial innovations which could be immediately taken up. Besides the traditional reasoning why many profitable energy efficiency potentials are not realised, the article also calls for more creativity to rely on the motivation and opportunities of actors and to analyse the relevant actors of the related innovation system. Finally, the recent activities of the Energy Summit of the German government and the Commisssion's Action Plan for Energy Efficiency are shortly discussed under the criteria developed in the article.