Energy
Humanity has always turned to the sun for its energy needs, directly or indirectly. We started using “current” sunlight with firewood for cooking and heating and wind power – also a form of solar energy – to move our ships.
When we discovered coal, oil and gas – “ancient” sunlight, formed hundreds of millions years ago – we entered a new era. The fossil fuels proved such a powerful energy source that it transformed our global economy at an unprecedented speed.
Today we increasingly realize the finite nature of the fossil fuels, the geopolitical risks and the negative effects on our climate caused by its CO2 emissions. To avoid catastrophic climate breakdown, we must limit global warming to 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. To have a 83% change of achieving this, our remaining carbon budget from 2020 onwards is around 900 gigatons of CO2(e). This implies that a significant amount of proven global fossil fuel reserves must be kept in the ground, which will cause trillions of US $ in so-called “stranded assets” from an investment perspective.
The development of nuclear fission energy is a dangerous distraction. It involves enormous monetary investments in order to create an energy system dependent on yet another finite resource: uranium. All the money, energy, materials and talent we put into this, can’t be dedicated to the transition towards a smaller and truly renewable energy system. It’s safety problems around operations and radio-active waste could be significantly exacerbated when climate-breakdown induced sea-level rise becomes a reality. The nuclear disaster in Fukushima should provide a stark warning of this scenario. Using thorium as an alternative fuel might have better cards in some areas, however it’s development is most likely not timely enough to meaningfully help tackling the climate crisis.
Nuclear fusion energy – which aims to mimic the sun by merging atoms – seems to be in a long-lasting development stage and is likely to be too late to provide a solution to the current climate crisis. The good news is we don’t need to mimic the sun on earth, since we already have one. To move forward towards a positive future, we mainly need to refocus on harvesting “current” sunlight. And this is very well possible since in just one hour the earth receives as much energy from the sun as humanity uses in an entire year.
The sustainable solutions we look for concentrate on initiatives that save energy, generate renewable energy, create energy independence, stimulate energy cooperation within communities, or showcase technological innovations.
Below are our sustainable energy solutions.
Geothermal Energy (NZL)
We explore how the Kiwis make smart use of energy from the Earth and learn that we don’t need fossil fuel-based electricity at all.
Energy Storage (ESP)
On the small and remote Spanish island El Hierro, we visit a world-leading renewable energy storage solution that combines wind- and hydropower!
Solar Energy (ESP)
In one hour enough solar energy reaches the Earth to provide energy for everyone for a year. But how will we harvest and store it? Spain has the solution.
Marine Energy (GBR)
In Orkney, Scotland, public-private partnerships pioneer a new form of renewable energy: energy from the sea (tides and waves).
Renewable Energy on Samsø (DNK)
Through engagement of the community and local ownership, the islanders managed to become energy independent with renewable energy.