From phrases by famous people, in the book Renewable Energies. A quick dive), industrial engineer Manel Torrent Aixa explains the technologies behind the energy transition, the opportunities and the barriers. The former director of Icaen and former general director of Energy of the Generalitat does not hesitate to point out citizens and politicians as the main barrier to renewables in Catalonia.
In the book he quotes a phrase from Jane Goodall: “Technology by itself is useless. You have to put your heart into it.” Is Catalonia putting its heart into the energy transition?
The heart, perhaps yes, but the head seems quite clear not. The heart, because everything is conflicting wills and feelings. Willingness to fight climate change, to make the energy transition... but when push comes to shove, everything is half done. And with mixed feelings, because citizens distrust the transition. “We want it renewable, but not like this,” is the motto. In practice it is a “I want to fight against climate change, but don't bother me”, and the “don't bother me” is full of excuses.
According to Nikola Tesla, “there is energy throughout space and it is a matter of time before men succeed in their mechanisms for harnessing that energy.” The question is: is there time or is the climate crisis pressing?
I think the effects are already evident. The administration's colleagues who do planning no longer talk only about mitigation, but we are immersed in adaptation to climate change. We have it on us. It will not be that the environmental and scientific sector had not warned us decades ago. Now it's time to run. We need a rapid, urgent and massive energy transition because we are late. And why energy transition to fight climate change? Well, because the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions is our use of energy.
Charles Darwin concluded that “it is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one that is most adaptable to change.” Can the economy continue to increase energy consumption and remain dependent on fossil resources?
No. We have to reduce energy use, but that does not necessarily mean decreasing economically. And if we do it well, there will be no decrease in comfort either. There is an indicator, which is energy intensity, which measures economic growth in relation to the energy we use. In this way we measure how much energy it costs us to create a new unit of wealth. This is the value to reduce. That we can increasingly generate wealth with lower energy costs. In Catalonia we reduce energy intensity for three reasons: savings policies and technological improvement, which brings us more efficiency (we are doing well); deindustrialization towards a model based on services and, therefore, less energy intensive (for me that is not positive), and the economic crisis, which leads to lower energy use (we are not doing well either). Be that as it may, the indicator declines. Not enough. And that is why we have to make a disruptive energy transition.
An adage from the 1st century BC. warns that “with great power comes great responsibility.” Can only renewable energy be used to cover all the necessary energy demand?
Yes, it has to be that way, but first we have to talk about reducing energy demand. The energy perspective of Catalonia (Proencat) foresees that by 2030 we must have reduced demand by 32% compared to current values, and by 2050, up to 70%. Once this is done, we will need 70,000 MW of renewables to be self-sufficient. The fossil sector says it is converting towards biofuels. Now! Well, we haven't been talking about biodiesel and ethanol for years. Nuclear companies also want to extend the life of the reactors. They do not talk about prices or necessary reinvestments, but they say that they are the solution and that they generate cheaply. In short, now the rush from the conventional generation sector is coming and they are carrying out strong campaigns.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is magic,” said Arthur C. Clarke. Why does he not believe that nuclear is a technology for the future, but renewables are?
The owners of the nuclear plants want to extend the life of the reactors. They argue this with the (almost) zero CO₂ emissions and with the fact that it is already a built structure that must be used. They do not tell us, however, that what they want is for the State to guarantee them compensation. And they know that the kWh will drop in price with renewable energy, which has lower investment and maintenance costs and, above all, fewer primary energy costs (free), which makes it a more competitive generation as well as reversible. Technology advances, and we will use it to solve the problem.
“Progress evaporates and leaves behind a trail of bureaucracy,” lamented Franz Kafka. What are the main barriers to renewables?
People. We are a generally well-off society. We demand rights, but we assume few duties. We are quite unconscious, shortsighted and capricious. At the same time, our governments are fearful. They do not want to offend us or demand from us, even if it is for our good... a good that goes beyond four years. An I want and I can't that turns into paperwork. Between each other we pass resolutions, instances and correction sheets and the years go by and we don't have mills turning or photovoltaics producing, just bureaucracy.
Newton complained that “men build too many walls and few bridges.” Does the lack of a stable legal framework stop investors?
Clearly. But everything emanates from the same place, the citizens, with their yes and no, which forces the legislative power – which interprets the citizens' will – to swing like a pendulum. Each government wants its law, always definitive and that solves everything, and that leads us to the fact that each political change results in a new law. In the end, investors who bet on projects with return periods of 20 or more years are scared.
“We will make the energy transition at all costs and, therefore, it is better to take advantage as a country.” This phrase is his. Why do you firmly believe that we have to bet on renewable energy?
Because the future is renewable and European policy asks us to be self-sufficient as a continent. Spain is committed to meeting its objectives. She is doing well and will drag us along. Therefore, we will have electricity and green gases, but if we do not make them, they will bring them to us and we will remain mere buyers. If you have to have towers in the mountains, it is better that they be wind power than high voltage.
