Throughout history, there have been times when the introduction of technology met the needs of the public and a fundamental shift was set in motion. This has been the case with the steam engine, the automobile, the telephone, the computer, the internet… just to name a few. While all of these technology-driven structural changes had huge macro-economic benefits, they were not beneficial for every one. Especially those with business models that used to provide similar, but inferior, services faced marginalization or even extinction. This process was sometimes painful, but usually not a loss.
When policy incentives led to the construction of the first railroads, and trains began to connect cities and centers of commerce, the carriage lobby famously spread the rumor that traveling faster than 30 mph would be unhealthy (possibly deadly).
Today, we are witnessing a similar — probably even more significant — historic structural change. The resistance by vested interests is obviously fierce, since this change threatens the most profitable business model of the world — the hunting, gathering, and distribution of fossil fuels. As a consequence, the disinformation against this change is well organized, though it is as ridiculous as always….
To illustrate one aspect of this fundamental shift, as it is happening in Germany, I’ve designed this little infographic on the impact of solar energy deployment.
I am a close observer of the renewable energy revolution in my home country Germany and around the world. As a full-blooded enthusiast, I spend a lot of my spare time reading about the technological, political, social and cultural developments that drive the renewable energy revolution and their benefits to society. I studied media & computer science at university and work as a freelance graphic / interface designer. I love visualizing complex information, data, & the relationships that connect them to our world.
