Rebuilding the energy system should be easy: It’s a pretty clear case to be moving from fossil fuels to renewables. The technology is (mostly) available, and the transition is affordable. But easy, it is not. In this lecture, Prof. Gert Jan Kramer will explore this discrepancy.
Energy is so fully interwoven with the fabric of society that it is not an engineering challenge, says Gert Jan Kramer. He models possible energy systems, not only considering technological developments but also examining how actors (like consumers and companies) influence a possible energy transition. The path is unpredictable and the choices only partly rational; a sustainable energy system ultimately is a journey, rather than a destination, according to Kramer. He will illustrate these general notions with examples from the Dutch Climate Agreement.
Prof. dr. Gert Jan Kramer is professor of sustainable energy supply systems and head of the Energy & Resources group at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. He studies the energy transition both as a technical and a socio-technical phenomenon and is also the hub leader of 'Deep Decarbonisation: Towards Industry with Negative Emissions’, a hub of the strategic theme ‘Pathways to Sustainability’ of Utrecht University.
Facing challenges with complexity
What is the similarity between solving the refugee problem, functioning of democracy and preventing a pandemic? They are examples of challenges that lend themselves to an approach with the help of complexity science. These cover fascinating topics such as self-organization, emergence, tipping points, and resilience.
Complexity lecture series
Studium Generale and the Focus Area Grip on Complexity (Institute for Complex Molecular Systems) jointly organize a lecture series to show how new insights from complexity help find sophisticated answers to the overwhelming questions our society is facing. Four themes will be discussed both via an introductory lunch lecture for a general audience and via an in-depth lecture for experts in the field (Complex Fridays). This lecture series is for anyone who is convinced that modern science can and should play a role in the societal solutions of today and tomorrow.
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SG & USE registration
You can only register for SG&USE if you watch the entire program live (so not watching it at a later time) and if you complete an online SG&USE registration form within five minutes after the end of the program. During the lecture we will explain where and when you can find the link to the registration form. Keep your student ID number at hand, because you'll need to fill it out in the form.
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More information about SG & USE can be found here.