Jeremy Rifkin: DIY Power Generation on a Grand Scale

Jeremy Rifkin, author and president of the think tank Foundation on Economic Trends, gave a rousing talk at the Research Connection conference in Prague last week, held by the research arm of the European Union. His thesis, according to this BBC article is that the EU will need to change its approach to generating, using and monetizing energy in order to emerge from its energy and economic crises.
One of the ways it should do this is by looking to the revolution of communication technology and the growth of the Internet. Also vital will be spreading power generation across a region and encouraging small—even home-based—renewable energy stations, he said.

Rifkin says Europe lacks the capacity needed to meet its eminent energy needs using the established, centralized power generation model and therefore must turn to microgeneration, wherein buildings are transformed into their own power plants. The power source would be whatever is most appropriate to the location: turbines in windy areas, solar in the sun, tidal power on the coasts and methane power in agricultural settings.

“Your building becomes your power plant, just like your computer becomes your information vehicle to the world,” Rifkin told the crowd…. – CLICK HERE to Continue Reading and Comment

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Jeremy Rifkin: DIY Power Generation on a Grand Scale