Energy
Diversify and expand alternative energies
Energy is of course essential to human activity, but humanity is facing a new challenge: inventing a new energy equation that will enable us to continue our activity while preserving our planet. Energy consumption more than doubled between 1980 and 2020, with fossil fuels still predominating, accounting for 80% of the energy mix. It is therefore necessary to reduce the rate at which our energy needs are increasing, while at the same time developing the energy mix used to meet these needs.
What are the biggest challenges in this sector for the next decade ?
Of the many challenges facing the energy sector over the next few years, we believe the main one is the rapid and drastic reduction of greenhouse gases. This reduction can be achieved in a number of ways, four of which seem to us to account for most of the environmental and societal impact:
- Electrification of all fixed uses (production, heating), both for industrial and households needs
- The development of 100% carbon-free electricity production (nuclear, fusion, renewable, deep geothermal)
- The development of alternative fuels for transport (ammonia, hydrogen, etc.)
- Reducing energy consumption by optimising current processes
Why we believe deeptech can solve the biggest challenges ?
We need rapid solutions that have a massive impact. The development of truly ground-breaking solutions capable of delivering significant gains is not yet sufficiently tangible among manufacturers in the sector, most of whom are content with the current system. Science can provide genuinely innovative solutions in the fields of chemistry (new fuels), physics (fusion, deep geothermal energy) and engineering sciences (process optimisation), enabling rapid gains to be made on a large scale, once they have been de-risked and backed by the power of major industrial groups.
What kind of project do we want to create there ?
We are looking for projects with the potential to have a wide-ranging environmental, social and economic impact. Here are a few examples of projects that have caught our attention:
- Deep geothermal energy, providing reliable electricity or heat production that is not dependent on weather conditions, and with minimal environmental impact.
- Optimising hydrogen production, to make green hydrogen competitive with grey hydrogen (produced from fossil fuels)
- Development of a more efficient solar energy concept that is not dependent on sunshine on the ground