Beyond 2040: Getting to Energy Utopia

Abstract

In a very possible ENERGY 2040 utopian scenario, energy will be abundant, equitable, and sustainable. Materials will be processed using clean renewable energy. Buildings will become energy self-sufficient. Organic industrial feedstock materials will be made from carbon extracted from the air. Industrial processes, such as metal extraction, cement, fertilizers, desalination, and direct carbon capture will operate using clean energy, and will not generate carbon emissions. New appliances will be developed that are more energy efficient, including for cooking, heating, and cooling, allowing system optimization to manage the variability of the primary generation resource. The technologies, or better still, deep tech, that can enable such a future may already be here in a research lab—ready to follow a process of “Innovation by Design” to get to market along an accelerated timeline. Decarbonization and climate change will have both been addressed because we did the profitable thing, and it was also the right thing to do for society, and for our planet. We have a once-in-lifetime chance to align our efforts for economic growth and climate change, by harnessing the forces of innovation, and by accelerating time from science-to-impact at scale.