28 March 2014: A report released by the World Energy Council (WEC) finds that major gains in energy efficiency will need to reach far beyond technical solutions to address cost-effectiveness, finance, acceptance, innovation and environmental impact in a holistic way.

The report, titled ‘World Energy Perspective: Energy Efficiency Technologies,’ summarizes the outcomes of a pilot project launched in 2011 by the WEC Knowledge Network on Energy Efficient Technologies in eight broad themes: integration of value chains; exploration and production of oil and natural gas; industrial processing; thermal power generation; power grids; industrial energy use; residential and commercial energy use; and transportation.

The report examines the potential for these technologies in four areas: technical potential of the best available technology; economic potential within a given timeline; realizable potential for demonstrated payback; and realistic potential given political, financial, and other constraints. The report also presents a case study of a demonstration project on the potential to use technologies to improve energy efficiency in buildings and homes in the US.

In its conclusion, the report stresses, among other things, the opportunity for technology roadmaps to help decision makers agree on short-term solutions, and the need for new consumption patterns in the successful implementation of long-term energy efficiency policies and measures.

The report complements an earlier WEC project on energy efficient policies. Created in 1923, WEC is a UN-accredited body, representing 3000 member organizations in over 90 countries, which works to facilitate a global energy dialogue by hosting high-level events, publishing studies, and engaging its network across the entire energy spectrum. [Publication: World Energy Perspective: Energy Efficiency Technologies]