Green energy and transport make for a better future, but there are pitfalls. Will there be sufficient raw materials? Are we not too dependent on other countries? And how clean is biofuel really?
Answering these questions in a straightforward way is not very easy, that’s why the European Commission is bringing these topics to the forefront in meetings, seminars and workshops, to stimulate awareness and discussion about the subject.
Interactive and animated infographics
There is a lot of data about green energy, but graphs and tables alone do not always appeal to the imagination, as the Joint Research Center, the scientific service of the European Commission, found out. They asked MCW for a tool to help bring out the discussion and bring the matter to the public eye. For us, it was soon clear that interactive and animated infographics would help to make the issue transparent and accessible for a broad audience.
Biofuels
How much cleaner is biofuel? It depends on what kind we are talking about, and it can be made from different (biological) sources. The most clear it becomes when you discover it for yourself, which is exactly what the interactive tool that we created allows you to do: compose your own bio-ethanol or bio-diesel and then compare the impact of the different biofuels.
Critical Materials
On the subject of critical raw materials for sustainable energy we made a highly interactive infographic showing the demand for windmills and solar panels per year. By contrasting this with the available amount of raw materials, the problem suddenly becomes very clear. The 'raw material tap' can be closed per country. It is very telling to see the visible consequences for the production of wind turbines and solar panels when the supply from certain countries is turned off.
Both infographics are utilized on touch tables, screens and tablets at fairs, seminars and meetings. For an impression, a web version of the tools can be viewed here (not for phones):
