A good potential mapping is a pre-requisite for a policy framework which would attract investments by lowering the risks. The global mapping needs to be implemented in a way that the policy makers have the requisite tools for informed decision making. The lecture focuses on how global mapping is being developed to help countries assess the commercially viable potential of renewable energy and provide it as an input for policy decisions for making a road map for increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

There is no energy crisis; there is no shortage of energy. This standpoint is supported by three significant observations; namely that: We waste roughly 98% of our energy; we have an enormous and infinite source of energy the sun; and renewable energy is all around us. But what does the future of renewable energy systems look like? Are we looking at hybrid systems, the dominance of a single type of renewable energy, or the emergence of completely new technologies? This lecture showcases the ways to design future sustainable energy systems, decide which technologies need to be developed and how they should be implemented.

The use of solar energy technologies, and especially solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies, has enjoyed significant growth over the past decade. By the end of 2011, the total estimated installed capacity of PV systems around the world was 70 GW, and could exceed 91 GW by the end of this year. These exceptional growth rates are expected to continue into the future: total installed capacity could grow to 230 GW by 2017, and may contribute to as much as 11% of the global electricity supply by the year 2050.

With more than 14 high temperature potential sites occurring along the Kenyan Rift Valley and an estimated potential of more than 15,000 MWe, geothermal energy is particularly cost-effective in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, East Africa. Public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements are effectual in addressing the comprehensive barriers to implementing RE technologies and closing the gaps in investment capital and technologies, particularly in the case of geothermal exploration. This lecture showcases these successful partnerships and details Geothermal Development Company's (GDC) business plan and strategy for developing 5000 MWe by 2030.

There is a striking link between poverty alleviation and sustainable energy. Sustainable energy is a critical tool for addressing the inequality in energy access and consumption, and acts as a catalyst in promoting income generation and regional peace. Provision of sustainable energy is imperative to socio-economic growth and development.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is developing rapidly, with strong economic growth projected to continue in the short and medium term. Economic development and population growth, however, have come with an increase in the demand for electrical power, much of which is needed to desalinate water. Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has recently announced their strategic decision to diversify their energy mix in an attempt to meet this demand while also creating new economic sectors in the country. Abdulrahman Al Ghabban presents Saudi Arabia's renewable energy roadmap to generate 54.1 GW of renewable electricity by 2032 and discusses the country's future energy mix.

Affordable renewable energy is still science fiction, right? Dead wrong, says Dr. Eric Martinot, and he should know. A former senior energy specialist with the World Bank in Washington, DC from 1999 to 2003 and affiliated with the Worldwatch Institute, Eric created an annual compendium on renewable power in 2005 called the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report.

Eric Martinot, REN21 Report Author, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies

Overview of 2013 Global Futures Report by Dr. Eric Martinot, Author of REN21 Renewables Global Futures Report, Senior Research Director- Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies

Three experts explore the possibility of a world powered by renewable energy - the likelihood of that scenario, how the transition should be made, and whether renewable energy can help to slow climate change. The panel is moderated by Adil Najam, director of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.