Energy touches every facet of our lives. It is the vital force powering our homes, businesses, industrial facilities and vehicles, and is a fundamental factor in achieving and sustaining a high quality of life. Because so much relies on energy, few sectors are as challenging, especially at the nexus between energy, socioeconomic needs and the environment. Berger's energy practice is one of the company's youngest and most promising, supplying clients with the unique skills needed to meet the demanding challenges facing today's leading energy providers.

With the rise of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and a number of other rapidly emerging economies, worldwide energy demand is projected to at least double by 2050, with 70 percent of the increase coming from developing countries. Currently, more than two billion people worldwide lack adequate energy supplies, and experts project that more than $30 trillion will be necessary over the next 30 years to satisfy the energy needs.

Clearly, developing efficient energy supplies is a worldwide priority. However, there are increasing concerns about the sustainability of such development given the growing concern for greenhouse gases and the replenishment of energy reserves. In response, a number of clean energy initiatives are being explored and implemented to diversify our energy resources and reduce or eliminate air-borne pollutants and capture greenhouse gases. Through innovative research efforts, experts are also developing a number of new techniques to reduce dependency on nonrenewable energy, such as oil and natural gas. At present, a number of promising options for improving energy supplies exist, including improved biomass fuels, mini-hydropower, wave and tidal energy, solar and wind power and hybrid systems, while other technologies, such as fusion, are on the horizon. A number of new nuclear power technologies are also under development. Although renewable energy sources, principally hydropower, currently account for merely 14 percent of the world's total energy consumption, many experts claim that half of the world's power could be generated with renewable energy by 2040. To accomplish this feat, more than $71 billion worldwide was invested in renewable energy projects in 2006. Research is also being conducted to develop more energy-efficient programs to reduce demand, and programs such as Demand-Side Management are being implemented to decrease load by encouraging consumers to modify their level and pattern of consumption.

The Berger Group is currently participating in a number of innovative initiatives to develop and provide dependable and affordable alternative energy solutions worldwide, while ensuring that existing energy technologies are further improved and implemented in a safe, reliable and environmentally friendly manner. In this issue of BergerWorld, we are pleased to highlight some of our recent accomplishments in this dynamic and demanding field.