The ‘Carrot’ of Clean Energy

Suhana Maledan

Arabian Youth Environmental Programme

Over the past 200 years of energy transitions, environmentalists have constistently stated that ‘wind and solar energy mean cheaper, cleaner energy’. Whilst demonstrating upon the ideal of a future indication of electric-powered vehicles bolting through society in the hands of wind and solar energy, assisting millions with employment in greener fields. Yet the question remains upon why we, as a planet, are still suffering from a global energy calamity, even after substantial recorded amounts of new renewable capacity. To be frank, it is quite clear to analyse that major misconceptions surround the concept of ‘clean energy’. Therefore on that account, this blog will be debunking the myths surrounding the ideal of clean energy and disclose the ‘cleaner’ resolutions.

Is Less - Better?

Personally, it seems to me, that we’ve been seeing this all wrong. Quite contrary, it’s quite a ‘backward’ ideal to see it through. The goal isn’t to be using less of our energy or replacing it. It’s vastly centralized on using more, to help develop better lives and make it clean.

As it is apparent in our day and age, most of our energy derives from fossil fuels, situating us to fall into our own entanglement. Therefore, using less energy seems like the only real, possible option in order to atleast slow down the process of climate change. This leading us to all hear or atleast know of the common message our entire lives, ‘Use less energy or conserve it or else terrible things can happen if we don’t.’ Referencing to that, policy-makers and environmentalists develop what we could call ‘the stick’, which is simply just the common message of ‘use less energy unless you want terrible things to happen’. However, this central message was an efficient method in order to get people to listen. Or atleast somewhat care about climate change, even if it was on the name of fear and deception, or desperation?

Fig. 1. Pew Research Center, gathered by journalist Cleo Abram, 2022.

a. Research based on graph indicating increasing support for climate policies.

b. Percentile change of average adults in the US who state the ‘protecting the environment’ and ‘dealing with global climate change’ is a top priority.

c. Analysis of the support for climate action from the course of 2008-2020 in the US.

According to Matt Yglesias, journalist at Vox; general news site, he states that “conservation isn’t good environmentally” and that we’d actually need zero carbon sources of energy, as if we’d have a ‘zero-net economy’ then there’d be no reason left to conserve.

In his article of ‘the case for more energy’, he refers our energy transitional journey as a 50-year long energy diet, and concludes the need to end it. To summarize, our safest resolution wouldn’t be to alter a drop more of our fossil fuels, yet simply to just wildly enhance and enlarge our clean energy ambitions. So, how do we do it?

Introducing ‘the carrot of clean energy’, a practice into getting people to strive towards clean energy, entirely based upon faith and ambition. To be audaciously ambitious. ‘If we can make clean energy. We can use more.’

To be able to visualize a world with abundant clean energy to be, our future, we need to change our ways. Below is an interview transcript of Matt Yglesias taking it in his perspective.

“We’re now in a world where you can invent a lot of things that work, but the problem is that they’re really energy intensive. It would be really useful to be able to capture carbon dioxide, especially to do what’s called direct air capture, which is what trees do. You can make machines that do this. Hydrogen could be a zero carbon solution to a lot of problems, but you would need the hydrogen. We could have vertical farms and feed everyone locally to our cities and with these vertical farm designs, you could use drastically less water. You could produce incredible amounts of crops at much greater efficiency with much less pollution. But you need to use a lot more energy, because the sun is free and lamps aren’t. You can also take salt water and make it drinkable. These are tools that we have, they are science projects that function but they’re not usable commercially because the energy cost is much too high. But if we can get more energy and get it from clean sources then we can actually do these things.”

Over time human history has been all about findings ways to use a little bit more energy, to make life a little bit better. Therefore, the goal isn’t less energy, it’s more. The only way we can have more is by making it clean.

Hydrogen - Our Hero to a Cleaner World?

As Matt Yglesias previously briefed through the hype of ‘hydrogen’ possiby being our ultimate clean fuel, you may be wondering, why though?

One of the major reasons behind this concept is hydrogen’s vast potential as a zero-emission fuel, as hydrogen produces only heat and water when in combustion, while not releasing any harmful pollutants. Therefore, generating hydrogen to be a substantially sustainable option for transport applications in which emissions may be a vital concern.

Fig. 2. IRENA, Green hydrogen production, conversion and end uses across the energy system.

Green hydrogen is being viewed as a potential alternative to our traditional fuels used in the world today, including in a wide range of applications. For example, in the transportation sector, major automakers such as Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai are developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, whilst in the aviation industry, companies such as ZeroAvia and Airbus are generating hydrogen-powered planes. Quite significantly, fuel cell technology has undergone immense progress and improvements, making the journey of the conversion of hydrogen into electricity not only more effective, but also cost-effective. Thereby guiding us successfully into the slow progress of unlocking the full potential of renewable energy.

However, like most technologies in the past including the current ones, we are yet to learn so

much more about hydrogen. In fact, one of the major setbacks is the cost of production and

distribution of hydrogen. Along with the transportation of and storage of this element. Yet

once again, we can surely overcome these hurdles if we strategize efficient and effective plan

of actions as a global community. With administration, congress, researchers, organizations,

national laboratories, and policy-makers all combined, we will definitely be able to build a

corresponding network and secure the support for hydrogen. As well as a cleaner tomorrow.

Works Cited

Cleo Abram. (2022, March 23). The big misconception about clean energy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6k7yBBhuZo

The 200-year history of mankind’s energy transitions. (2022, May 20). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/04/visualizing-the-history-of-energy-transitions/

The hype around hydrogen | Four corners Clean Energy Alliance. (n.d.). https://fourcornerscleanenergyalliance.org/the-hype-around-hydrogen/

Bell, L. (2011, December 27). Why the Hype Surrounding Renewable Energy Is Just That. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2011/12/27/why-the-hype-surrounding-renewable-energy-is-just-that/?sh=40865d76bc8c

Yglesias, M. (2021, October 7). The case for more energy. By Matthew Yglesias. https://www.slowboring.com/p/energy-abundance