The World Energy Issues Monitor 2017 has been released

By Nell Walker

April 07, 2017

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The World Energy Council, one of the world’s leading energy think-tanks, has released its 2017

The World Energy Council, one of the world’s leading energy think-tanks, has released its 2017 World Energy Issues Monitor.

The publication highlights current concerns within the energy industry, and shows that a low carbon future is the latest high priority. Disruptive technologies, including renewable energies and energy efficiencies, are impacting top action priorities for energy leaders globally this year.

Renewables especially ranked highly in impact within every region identified in a survey of over 1,300 energy leaders across 95 countries. Solar has seen massive growth in installed capacity, reaching 227GW by the end of 2015. Global wind power generation capacity increased at a rate of 17.2 percent that year too.

The World Energy Issues Monitor is in its eighth year; this year’s report is entitled ‘Exposing new energy realities’.

Other findings in 2017 include commodity price volatility; a shift in economic growth; shift in geopolitical power; new physical and virtual risks; and talent acquisition and retention.

Dr. Christoph Frei, Secretary General of the Council said: “Our survey shows that energy leaders face and acknowledge disruptive change. The Issues Monitor illustrates that innovation issues such as digitalisation, decentralisation, innovative market design or electric storage rapidly gain traction, while a more difficult growth context and new physical and digital risks are posing ever greater threats to the energy sector. Today defining the energy agenda globally, five years ago these issues were far from being a priority.

“The survey indeed illustrates the tensions that emerge against the context of the grand energy transition. The report does not find reasons why the current high dynamics in the energy sector would slow down. How the different regions decide to address the challenges and tensions identified in our report will define the agendas for the future.”