Clear Summaries of Scientific Reports on


Rising fuel prices and concerns about climate change and oil dependence have brought energy to the forefront of public debates and policies. What is the future of energy production?


Biochar can be used as fuel or as a fertilizer, and is particularly relevant to developing countries. More...

Latest update: 4 March 2015

Summary available in [en] [es] [fr

Climate impact of shale gas

What are the greenhouse gas emissions and climate implications of shale gas exploitation? More...

Latest update: 10 February 2015


CO2 Capture & Storage

One possible option for reducing CO2 emissions is to store it underground. This technique is called Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS).

How does it work? Could it really help addressing climate change?

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides answers in a special report. More...

Latest update: 15 September 2007

Summary available in [en] [es] [fr] [nl

Thorium nuclear fuel

Currently, nuclear reactors use enriched uranium as a fuel source, but uranium is relatively rare.

What are the challenges and advantages of using thorium as nuclear fuel? More...

Latest update: 15 May 2017

Summary available in [en] [fr

Energy Technologies

The growing use of energy that underlies current economic growth puts unsustainable pressure on natural resources and on the environment.

What options do we have for switching to a cleaner and more efficient energy future? How much will it cost? And what policies could achieve this? More...

Latest update: 9 February 2009


Energy Saving Lamps

Currently, conventional incandescent lamps are in the process of being replaced with more energy-efficient lamps, mainly compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Fluorescent light has been used for many years in overhead fluorescent tubes without causing any problems. Nevertheless, certain “light sensitive” citizens’ associations have voiced concerns about compact fluorescent lamps.

Do these energy-saving lamps aggravate the symptoms in patients with certain diseases? More...

Latest update: 29 May 2009


Forests & Energy

In coming years, the world’s energy consumption is expected to increase dramatically. While fossil fuels will remain an important source of energy, renewable energies will also gain importance. Could biofuels derived from forests help meet the energy demand? More...

Latest update: 16 March 2009

Summary available in [de] [en] [es] [fr] [nl


Serious questions are being raised about the environmental impacts of producing liquid biofuels for transport, the costs of policies to promote them and their possible unintended consequences.

What could be the future role of biofuels for agriculture, food security and climate change? More...

Latest update: 30 September 2009

Summary available in [de] [en] [nl

Shale Gas

New sources of gas are being increasingly being mobilized in order to meet the demand.

One such important source is shale gas, which needs for extraction a process called « hydraulic fracturing », what are the potential health and environmental risks of it? More...

Latest update: 30 September 2013


Solar Energy

Solar power has become significantly cheaper in the last few years, and installed capacity has grown substantially in the same period. What are the advances that are needed to reduce the cost further and deploy the technology on a larger scale ? More...

Latest update: 21 November 2015

Summary available in [en] [es] [fr

Tidal Energy

Tidal energy is a predictable renewable energy source. What is the potential or this energy source? More...

Latest update: 30 August 2015

Summary available in [en] [es] [fr

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy comes from the natural heat of the earth. It is used in some areas for electricity production and heating. What is the place of geothermal energy in the energy mix? More...

Latest update: 8 April 2015

Summary available in [en] [es] [fr

Wind Resources

Wind blows everywhere on the planet, and can be converted to electricity by wind turbines.

How much wind power capacity is there in the world? More...

Latest update: 20 November 2015

Summary available in [en] [es] [fr

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