Newsletter June 2022. From energy landscape to phyto refinery
Predicting is difficult, especially when it comes to the future. According to Market Twain. But according to Popper’s theory of science, making predictions is the most important feature of science. Anyone can explain things retroactively. No, predicting we’ll find a black in the middle of a galaxy and then find it: that’s real science.
Already in 2009, Tom Bade wrote in the book “Het Energielandschap” that one of the characteristics of sustainable energy production was that it would require much more space than energy production based on fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Space that actually wasn’t there then. But it certainly wouldn’t be if the population continued to grow, we have to produce food and want more nature. In between, the book also warns against the deadly alliance that could arise between lovers of treeless landscapes (numerous in our country) and the burning of our forests under the guise of sustainable energy production.
Against this background, the book mainly argues for a transition from climate to energy policy, spatial planning management and vision. Some suggestions are also made in this regard. Now 13 years later and including 2 million new residents, we have had a government without vision for 12 years, burned millions of hectares of forest in incinerators under the guise of sustainability and we have a war in Eastern Europe that will have a huge impact on the energy supply. And it is becoming increasingly clear that we do not have the space for everything: solar fields, growing food and a house for our children.
Attached is a link to the episode of Bladgroen about the book the Energy Landscape:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYkWYkgklUbIQVo1tv4nTng
In this turbulent world, we as Triple E want to keep our small ship on course. After all, we cannot remain in the safe harbor, because that does not make money. We have to seek out the turbulent waves and explore faraway places, although we would rather not have political storms that endanger our safe navigation.
So we continue to work bravely on the assignments we have these days. We also have to deal with natural ‘storms’ in our boat. During the field trial for Fiber2Fiber we encountered an unexpected natural phenomenon – drought – as a result of which the plants do not grow sufficiently and for which we have to find a solution. The tests in the greenhouse, on the other hand, are going very well again due to the sunny weather – which causes the drought. But yes, they are not affected by the drought.
At and with Bavaria we have started a new project aimed at processing residual sludge from their water purification process by means of phyto refining with miscanthus. And meanwhile, we are getting closer and closer to the realization of a phyto refinery there. We will certainly look into whether we can also use our own sustainable energy. Because we can of course realize our own small sustainable energy landscape and hopefully also fulfill an exemplary function that demonstrates how you can actually realize your goals from a vision.
