search.noResults

search.searching

saml.title
dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
How many people would board an airplane, if they were told its risk of crashing was 50- 50? Nobody. Yet, this is the gamble we are currently taking with the existential threat posed by climate change.


13 Wind-powered electrical generators located in the ocean near Copenhagen harbour, an example of a renewable energy source


SYSTEMS THINKING FOR ENERGY


The end goal for our energy systems is to rely fully on renewable energy sources, most of which will be fluctuating in nature, such as solar and wind energy. Therefore, energy storage and demand side management will play key roles in our future energy system. Moreover, our renewable energy sources will make our energy system much more decentralised than what is currently the case. This new and more complex energy system requires systems thinking where the interrelationships between the elements of the entire energy system are all considered in order to find the best possible solution.


Asia must start to apply systems thinking to the configuration of its future energy system, the key elements of which likely will centre around energy efficiency, solar energy and wind energy. This is the conclusion of the Solutions Project led by Stanford University, which produces individual country reports that suggest how best to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050. The country reports are based on detailed annual energy simulations that, among others, take into account


Case study


Denmark recently announced a comprehensive integrated energy system that will address the fluctuating power from big off-shore windmill parks that will supply more power than Denmark needs. The construction project, by far the biggest in Denmark’s history, consists of an artificial energy island 60 kilometres out at sea. Once fully built, the fluctuating power from 10GW off-shore windmills will be connected to this energy island. The power will partially be transmitted through underground cables back to the power grid on the mainland and will partially be converted and stored as fuel (hydrogen and ammonia). The stored fuel can be converted back to electricity, to ensure a stable power supply from the energy island during periods with no wind, but it can also be sold as fuel for ships. Interestingly, the price tag of this energy island is only about 10 per cent of Denmark’s GDP.


the local data for weather, pollution, energy and economy.


The Solutions Project recommends that for the


selected Asian countries, energy efficiency should bring us half way to self-sufficiency with renewable energy. The remainder of the energy demand should be covered by solar energy and wind; the installation of these facilities only takes up about 1 per cent of the land area. About half of the solar photovoltaic panels can be placed on the rooftops of commercial and residential buildings, whereas the rest will be placed outside cities in solar plants. Interestingly, wind energy (both onshore and offshore windmills) is identified as a major renewable energy resource for most countries. Equally interesting, once the true cost of energy is factored in, the payback time to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy is less than two years for all the countries, except for the special case of the island state of Singapore.


The burning of fossil fuels has a substantial impact on the public health for Thailand, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and India, namely between 10 and 20 per cent of the respective countries’


Jeffrey B. Banke/Shutterstock.com 72 FUTURARC


13


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95