This paper discusses the increasingly central position of energy in the affairs of mankind and the opportunities and limitations of its availability and use. With improving accessibility to the renewable energies there is no question of the world running out of basic energy resources - but there is certainly a challenge in ensuring that the different options are deployed in the most sensible manner. Hence, emphasis is placed on the importance of the rational use of energy. It is not enough to have it available - it must be in the right form and in the right location. The decisions of today depend heavily on market forces; will tomorrow's be shaped by the domination of the practice of supply and demand, or will other overriding factors come to bear?