Meeting the 2050 targets for the reduction in CO2 and increase in renewable energy is going to be challenging. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that worldwide we would need to deploy 650,000 wind turbines, put two billion hybrid cars on the road, build 1,000 new nuclear stations, and renovate more than 300 million homes. These are enormous challenges but present huge business opportunities. There is the prospect of a whole new industrial base opening up, requiring the development of new skills, energy technologies and supply chains.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have released an updated version of the “National Action Plan Vision for 2025″, which lays out a proposed energy efficiency action plan for state policy makers. Should it be implemented by all states, the plan is expected to lower energy demand across the country by 50%, achieve more than $500 billion in net savings over the next 20 years, and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 90 mio. cars.