The transition to a future powered by clean and renewable energy has been one of the most important topics for many years. Various types of renewable energy sources are being developed, such as solar, hydro, onshore and offshore wind, geothermal, and biomass. However, as recent climate science has revealed, the world's decarbonization efforts are not going as fast as needed in order to meet the 1.5C threshold of the Paris Agreement.
In the coming years, the renewable energy sector will see new beginnings and continued technological advancement, but there will also be problems, such as delayed or canceled projects. The question is whether those problems will be more of a speed bump or a brick wall, completely halting innovation. According to Jelte Kymmell, an expert in offshore renewable energy and founder of marine engineering consultancy company Mocean Offshore, the problems the renewables industry faces are a reflection of society's attitudes towards the climate crisis. He believes that the public, although aware of the situation, is not treating it with the urgency it requires, which results in the market not treating it as a top priority and funds not finding their way to short-term innovations.
"The current discourse resembles a casual chat in a pub – full of ideas but devoid of decisive action. The stakes are high, and the need for a paradigm shift in our approach to energy is more critical than ever," Kymmell says.
The desire of the public to contribute exists but is combined with a lack of knowledge and urgency as a result of the widespread phenomenon known as 'greenwashing', where organizations present themselves as doing more for the environment than they actually are. According to the United Nations, greenwashing is dangerous because it creates a false sense of public engagement and personal contribution and thereby reduces the actual effective actions people might otherwise undertake. The 'greenwashing ghost' is overly present but never obvious, an ideal predator strategy one might say.
Kymmell cites the example of people going for vacations to 'green resorts', which implement various local measures to mitigate some carbon emissions and environmental impact, yet using air travel to go there. He believes that many people going on these vacations feel like they're contributing something, but, in reality they're doing more harm than good.
"I'm not saying it's wrong to take a vacation, but people believing that they're doing something good for the environment by going on a 'green holiday' are misguided," he says. "Greenwashing is highly decremental to our effort to build a renewable future and policies should be drafted that enforce a much higher degree of transparency in corporate communication and advertising."
It is instances such as 'green resorts' that show societies' desire to do the right thing. What we need is true and clear forms of communication both internally and externally, to ensure the decisions we make don't just make us feel good but actually do good.
Furthermore, some sectors are also reluctant to adopt renewables, dwelling more on concerns about the potential negative impacts of new technologies and methods, but disregarding the significant harm caused by existing carbon-intensive energy systems. Kymmell believes that their fixation on the perceived risks of adopting renewables is a luxury we simply cannot afford anymore and presents a naive sense of urgency to the public. Some of these critics argue that implementing green technologies, such as wind and solar power, could lead to environmental degradation, high costs, and logistical challenges. While there are indeed drawbacks and hidden costs in some instances, this perspective often ignores the severe consequences of continuing with the status quo, including unabated greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and resource depletion.
The wider public's wavering on climate issues has caused the energy sector to be bogged down by a 'wait-and-see' approach, where stakeholders discuss potential solutions but hesitate to implement them, creating a cycle of procrastination.
Kymmell believes that there needs to be a change in societal attitudes on sustainability, including a greater focus on developing more innovative clean energy generation solutions through a radically new call for transparency. One such promising innovation is the development of floating wind farms. Unlike traditional fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines, which are limited by water depth, floating wind turbines can be deployed in deeper waters where wind speeds are higher and more consistent. Floating wind farms are designed to be versatile and scalable. For instance, the ECOTLP can be built and assembled using local resources, reducing the need for extensive shipping and the associated carbon emissions.
ECOTLP, the most promising floating wind foundation solution for deep water sites, of which Kymmell is Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, is working on economical, serial production deep-water offshore wind tension leg platforms for water depths of 200 to 3,000 meters. Acknowledging the impact of O&M costs throughout the lifetime has been a key driver in the unique design. Its process allows most components to be fabricated using local materials and labor, reducing the carbon footprint of manufacturing through the use of slip-formed concrete instead of costly and high-footprint steel solutions.
According to Kymmell, the energy transition faces numerous roadblocks, from technical challenges and resource availability to local policies and community acceptance. Thus, a comprehensive and speedy approach that acknowledges all stakeholders from the start is necessary to drive true progress.
"The pace of green energy innovation is not showing the urgency we think it deserves," he says. "It is a shared responsibility, not just by the industry, but also the government, academia, corporations, and the general public. Ultimately, the success of the energy transition hinges on the ability to embrace new technologies and approaches with a sense of urgency and determination. The time for action is now, and the path forward is clear – enforce transparency, innovate, implement, and accelerate."
