The text on this page was automatically translated and hence may differ from the original. No rights can be derived from this translation.
On 12th June, Auke Erland Hoekstra, Clean Tech Evangelist.com, delivered a lecture on solar energy as a solution to the energy shortage. He first introduced Gerard Joule, an average Dutch person who, by toiling 8 hours a day on a bicycle with a dynamo, can generate 1 GigaJoule in a year. The issue is that in the Netherlands, we use 200 GigaJoules per year: we would need 200 energy slaves to supply all that energy!
Biofuels do not solve this energy shortage, and nuclear energy is simply too expensive. According to Auke, we should look upwards: wind can cover 10 times our energy needs, and sun even more than 1000 times. Auke believes wind and sun won't replace fossil energy because fossil is "bad???, but rather because sun and wind will soon simply be cheaper.
He thinks the change will happen faster than we currently anticipate. Just like with the Internet, he argues that change will not come "from the centre???, but "from the edges???. Users purchasing solar panels and electric cars will force the energy sector towards the "super smart grid???. He presented a simulation model showing how the interaction of sales increase and price decrease will lead regions to start installing solar panels on roofs, even without subsidies. He suggested a similar model could be created for the rise of electric cars.
He concluded by saying that cleantech is starting to gain a much more positive image. A beautiful glass roof that generates more energy than an individual uses not only saves money but also gives many people a good feeling. He also presented Dialogic with a vision of electric cars becoming more stylish, affordable, and efficient than petrol cars.
His cost-benefit model of solar energy was extensively discussed by the Dialogic attendees. Additionally, there was enthusiastic brainstorming on the possibilities of decentralized energy provisions and the opportunities they present.
For more information about Dialogic and sustainable energy, please contact Sven Maltha.