What is your take on the agreements made during COP21 in Paris? Do you think they will make enough difference to our world?
YES! Because it needs to be done, but more importantly it can be done. In 1997 I was at Kyoto, Japan, where for the first time countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At that time I have helped many governments and industries to formulate their goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions. But at that time there was serious debate among many countries and industries about global warming by burning fossil fuels. And the sustainable energy technologies were not advanced and cheap enough to be an alternative for fossil energy. Both aspects have drastically changed over the years. Global warming and climate change are evident all around the world. And even more importantly, sustainable energy technologies have matured and
they can produce cheaper energy than the fossil alternatives.
To give an example, in the mid-west of the USA electricity produced from shale gas costs $ 0,05 per kWh, electricity from solar $ 0,04 per kWh and electricity from wind $ 0,03 per kWh.
What are some of the projects that you’re currently most excited about?
I am most excited about the realization of “The Green Village” sustainable solutions to the world’s largest challenges. The reason why I am so interested in them is becausethey require radically new connections between technologies and industries at a systems level. This type of innovation stretches the existing thinking about technologies, business models, public interest and regulation.
“The Green Village” unites all these parties at an inspiring, lively and entrepreneurial place at a physical location on the campus of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. In this truly green village scientists and students, corporates, SMEs and start-ups, government and legislators work together on the development of these kind of innovations in order to accelerate its market introduction.
