What is an energy crisis?

What organization is the closest to solving the global energy crisis?

• Organization = company, non-profit, research institution, university, thinktank, etc. Solving the global energy crisis = eliminating the need for oil as a primary energy source, making that energy affordable and scaling it across the world within the 20-40 years that Bill Gates specified is necessary to save us from global catastrophe. And, specifically, what type of technology and system or ecosystem are they looking to employ to get it off the ground and satisfy the above criteria?

• Answer:

  It is very difficult (or even biased) to pinpoint a single organization and say - Here! This is the one! There are literally 1000s of companies, organizations (read: not-for-profit) and individuals, universities, etc. who are engaged in solving or trying to solve the energy crisis issue. Some are close, some aren't. Some have a solution, but no one is paying attention, and where attention is being paid attention to, are backed by Petrodollars. There isn't even a consensus on the issue itself, and with so many warring factions, it becomes inherently more difficult to take one player out and put them on a pedestal. In no way this represents a full list, but the problem is being approached from multiple angles: Making devices more energy efficient Making our reliance on transportation more efficient Looking at all renewable energy sources and to optimize them, make them more efficient and how to best store this energy Looking at ways of producing with fossilized fuel more efficiently Looking at way to on how to stop leakage of energy (reducing energy waste) More efficient transportation of energy (this includes the energy grid) Fuel Cell technology Oceanic research for harnessing energy Reduce wastage (if Country X produces more, and Country Y produces less, and both have the same consumption, possible for Country  to transfer energy to Country Y?) Radical science (sorry for a poor choice of words), but ideas that are deemed too crazy by many today, but may be able to power us tomorrow? Education on energy itself Reuse Etc. Attacking the energy problem on any front requires a lot of money. The Western world that has the money, is also most developed and largest utility user of energy, pays little heed to developing countries and economies, who do not have the energy needs for tomorrow. These developing countries in order to climb the economic ladder will continue to use very CO2 polluting energy sources to power themselves up - that by itself is a energy problem. The Bill Gates example video you put up is a fantastic example, once that will take a few years, and a lot of money to find out if it actually works. The research being done on the solar front in labs all over the world is remarkable. One very large energy source that we tend to ignore, are the oceans and not enough research money gets diverted its way. Solar, wind, nuclear, tidal, rivers, fossil, HFC, AFC (alternative fuel cells), natural gas, bio fuels, etc. There are so many commendable people working on this enormous problem of ours that it is indeed very difficult to even hand pick a few. Acceptance and funding of these projects is the key here. Especially bringing to the foreground solutions that certain oil companies would not like to see. Though there are many companies doing examplery work in the field, a few worth following are: Solar: BritghSource: http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ JA Solar: http://www.jasolar.com/ Gintech: http://www.gintechenergy.com/en/ NanoSolar: http://www.nanosolar.com/ Fuel Cell: Bloom Energy: http://www.bloomenergy.com/ Transportation (Electric Cars/Grid): Better Place: http://www.betterplace.com/ GeoThermal: Ormat: http://www.ormat.com/ Wind: Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Wind Giant: http://www.windgigant.eu/wg/index.php (Do search for magnetically levitated vertical axis wind turbines)