- Current section: Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 1 Why sustainable energy matters
- 2 2 Definitions: energy, sustainability and the future
- 3 3 Present energy sources and sustainability
- 4 4 Renewable energy sources
- 5 5 Energy services and efficiency improvement
- 6 6 Energy in a sustainable future
- Acknowledgements
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An introduction to sustainable energy
The search for sustainable energy will dominate the twenty-first century. This unit...
The search for sustainable energy will dominate the twenty-first century. This unit provides an introductory overview of the present energy systems and takes a brief look at where the world may find energy in the future – cleaner use of fossil fuels or renewable energy sources?
When you have completed this unit you should:
- have an understanding and awareness of the importance of sustainable energy;
- have an overview of the main sources of renewable energy.
- Duration: 3 hours
- Published on: Tuesday 26th July 2011
- Level: Introductory
- Posted under: Environmental Science
Contents
An introduction to sustainable energy
Introduction

The search for sustainable energy will dominate the twenty-first century. This unit provides an introductory overview of the present energy systems and takes a brief look at where the world may find energy in the future – cleaner use of fossil fuels or renewable energy sources?
This unit is from our archive and is an adapted extract from Energy for a sustainable future (T206) which is no longer taught by The Open University. If you want to study formally with us, you may wish to explore other courses we offer in this subject area [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
Archive content
This is an extract from an Open University course which is no longer available to new students. If you found this interesting you could explore more free Environmental Science course units or view the range of currently available OU Environmental Science courses.
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- Creative-Commons: The Open University is proud to release this free course under a Creative Commons licence. However, any third-party materials featured within it are used with permission and are not ours to give away. These materials are not subject to the Creative Commons licence. See terms and conditions. Full details can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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