Summary of 2017 Energy Forums
Harnessing energy for a productive human use has revolutionized our species over the last few centuries. Today, the global economy is heavily reliant on energy in many forms. The transition in our energy system now underway that started in the last decade might be the largest transformation of the energy system since the discovery of oil in Western Pennsylvania on the eve of the US Civil War. The growth of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and geothermal is revolutionizing the electricity industry. At the same time, in the US, the development and deployment of technology to unlock previously hard to reach oil and gas from shale resources has revolutionized the energy security of the United States. Meanwhile, development and deployment of alternative fuel vehicles, including electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell cars and trucks, LNG trains, and the advent of software that makes vehicles more efficient and more autonomous are on the verge of changing the transportation system around the world.
Within this context, the Aspen Institute set out on its most ambitious set of energy gatherings since it endeavored to find solutions at the very first energy policy forum in 1977.