Energy plays a key role in realizing sustainable development in both advanced and developing countries alike, and it is therefore vital that investment in technological development be sustained in order to maximize the benefits of currently available energy resources. However, the question as to how that investment should be directed is a contentious one, and involves numerous parallel questions relating to efficiency, resource availability, cost effectiveness and environmental impact, among others. Furthermore, uncertainty remains as to the extent to which technological innovation can satisfy future global energy requirements, regardless of the future energy balance. The ECSSR 18th Annual Energy Conference, Technology and the Future of Energy, held at the Center on November 12–13, 2012, and the resultant papers compiled in this volume, provide a variety of informed views on current and future technological trends in the energy industry, and their consequences for both producers and consumers. They present a strategic outlook for technological development in the industry, based on analysis of global energy supply and demand, current and future investment trends in energy technology, the potential impact of technological advances in the oil and gas industry, and the viability of alternative energy technologies. Also discussed are technological challenges and opportunities in energy-intensive sectors in the oilproducing countries of the Arabian Gulf.

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