This definition is fine - as far as it goes. But I think we need to "double-click" on the word "needs". Because it's the "quality" of the energy to which we have access that matters."Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."
So, what are the key attributes of a useful energy supply?
1. It must be AFFORDABLE. Abundance doesn't matter if the commodity isn't affordable. The technology must exist to harvest the resource with adequate efficiency to deliver a cost-competitive product to market.
2. It must be SECURE - Energy must be available from sources and provided in a manner that does not constrain our foreign policy and our national defense strategies.
3. Energy supply must be PREDICTABLE. We need to know WHEN the energy will be available Predictability is based on what I call the "primitive or primary energy source availability". This is one of the challenges with wind, and solar energy. Predicting when the wind will blow and the sun will shine with sufficient brightness to be useful for electricity production is difficult in many regions of the world where it is needed.
4. The energy supply must be RELIABLE - Some people combine this with predictable energy, but I distinguish. To me, reliability is a function of the inherent robustness of the engineered system that collects, converts, stores, and transports the energy from it's point of origin to the end-user. It is distinct from predictability.
Next, there comes the challenge of distinguishing between our needs and our wants – and even more importantly, between our wants and other peoples needs. But more about that in a future post...