Last year, the UK government wrote an article about the future of energy, where they stated “The energy system of the future won’t look like today. The scale of change over the next 10 to 20 years will be considerable, and, we don’t know exactly what this change will look like.”
The UK is one of the more progressive nations in terms of tackling climate change, and, therefore, ensuring the evolution of energy for the future. The Low Carbon Transition Plan of 2009 stated that by 2020 the UK would need to produce 30% of its electricity, 12% of its heat, and 10% of its fuels from renewable sources. However, such targets vary across different countries. For example, each EU member state has its own renewable energy goal, based on its situation and potential, ranging from 10 to 49%.
Other large global countries, such as the US, are also beginning to see real change in their energy supply, with U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry stating at a conference last month that “We’re approaching the dawn of the new American energy era, an era of vastly improved choices for the entire world where we embrace new and smarter ways to reach our energy and our environmental goals."
An interesting infographic from the Visual Capitalist showing the Total Global Fossil Fuel Production (Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Coal Production) in metric tonnes. The map below resizes each country based on their share of global fossil fuel production.
3 Talks About Energy Innovation
1. Alex Laskey — How Behavioural Science Can Lower Your Energy Bill
Alex Laskey’s talk is a real eye-opener into how the end consumer interacts with their energy supplier and energy itself. The powerful use of a (*spoiler alert*) wheelbarrow of coal really hits home how much coal is used to create energy as well as how simple behavioural tweaks can change how we use energy. A good example of this is Bulb, a UK based clean energy supplier, where Hayden Wood, CEO, says that “by having a relationship with customers we can change their behaviour.” Powerful words when it is estimated that if everyone in the UK simply received an annual energy report they would save £560 million a year, and stop 36m tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.
This use of gamification has crept into many aspects of energy supply across nations with more advanced energy infrastructures, but there is still plenty of opportunity for innovation with those nations who do not have such established energy delivery networks.
2. The Energy Transition Show — The Gold Standard for Energy Innovation Podcasts
Chris Nelder and his various guests cover a real range of topics across the entirety of the energy transition. Chris’ show also examines more future-facing topics such as how realistic it is to transition to 100% renewable. The podcast can sometimes be fairly US-centric, however also cover more macro, global topics. Topics covered range from sustainably driven mobility solutions to decentralised energy markets and the role of blockchain in the future energy system. The “Geek Rating” is also really helpful in gauging the level of technical detail Chris and his guests will delve into! Each episode (the free ones at least) are roughly 30 minutes, so perfect for that morning commute. What a way to start the day — with your fix of energy-related futurism!
Bonus: Another interesting podcast that we recommend is Shell’s The Energy Podcast. It gives a fascinating insight into the direction that a large incumbent is taking in the midst of this global energy transition.
3. Marek Kubik — Batteries Not Included
Marek’s take on how energy storage technologies are transforming our approach to electricity generation with renewables is fascinating. It may be too simplistic for the detailed energy buffs out there, but it is a great overview of the energy transition and how traditional energy generation is being eroded by the three D’s: decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitisation.
Through his companies, such as Fluence (a joint venture from major industry players Siemens and AES Energy), large scale battery projects are already underway. For example, a 100MW 400mWh battery created in California. Given that batteries can be utilised for close to 100% of their lifetime and can react faster than a blink of an eye, batteries are certainly set to create a paradigm shift in the way we power our world.
Bonus: Another really interesting, and somewhat more focused, talk is from Andy Haun (Chief Technology Officer, Microgrids, Schneider Electric) and Peter Asmus (Research Director, Navigant Research). In this longer video (50 mins) they discuss the impact of renewables and decentralised energy generation in the context of data centres.
Energy Innovation Powers On
So, what is next for the energy industry as a whole?
- Power to the people— changes in consumer behaviour will be vital and play a large role in the demand-driven energy system of the future
- Reducing emissions won’t be enough — carbon capture will be instrumental in the future energy system
- Energy efficiency will rise to the fore — artificial intelligence will lead this charge
- Global energy forecasts — how we predict energy usage will become more refined, and, therefore, allow more distribution and less wastage
- Batteries are here to stay — the distributed nature of renewable energy generation will require energy storage to match
Are you ready to take advantage of RocketSpace’s innovation services and expertise to help your organisation see around corners?
RocketSpace offers corporations proven methodologies to bring tangible business value through external innovation (see BP and Freewire's rapid electric vehicle charging across BP’s retail sites). Rocketspace, also, instructs teams to develop an innovation mindset. Take our recently launched Corporate Innovation Assessment to see how your organization ranks amongst the Innovation Maturity Scale.