El mundo en 2050 promete ser un lugar fascinante y revolucionario, moldeado por los descubrimientos y avances que estamos realizando hoy. En esta serie, exploramos cómo los científicos y pensadores de renombre visualizan el futuro, abordando retos económicos, ecológicos y culturales que marcarán la vida cotidiana. A través de efectos especiales de última generación, cada episodio nos transporta a un mundo donde la energía es sostenible, la medicina está al alcance de todos y la tecnología redefine el deporte, la moda y las relaciones personales.
Imaginar el futuro no es solo un ejercicio de creatividad, sino una necesidad para preparar a la humanidad ante los cambios inminentes. Desde innovaciones en energías renovables que podrían erradicar la dependencia de los combustibles fósiles, hasta avances en la biomedicina que prometen alargar la vida y mejorar la calidad de la salud, cada descubrimiento de hoy está destinado a influir en la vida del mañana. Además, se explorarán tendencias culturales que podrían redefinir nuestras interacciones sociales y nuestro concepto de comunidad.
Acompáñanos en este emocionante viaje hacia el futuro, donde la ciencia y la imaginación se unen para crear un mundo lleno de posibilidades. No te pierdas la oportunidad de ser parte de esta conversación crucial sobre cómo nuestros actos presentes definirán el planeta que heredarán las futuras generaciones. ¡El futuro ya no es ciencia ficción!
**Hashtags:** #Futuro2050, #InnovaciónSostenible, #TendenciasFuturas
**Keywords:** futuro 2050, descubrimientos, retos económicos, sostenibilidad, avances tecnológicos, medicina del futuro, energía renovable, cultura y sociedad, efectos especiales, vida cotidiana.
Imaginar el futuro no es solo un ejercicio de creatividad, sino una necesidad para preparar a la humanidad ante los cambios inminentes. Desde innovaciones en energías renovables que podrían erradicar la dependencia de los combustibles fósiles, hasta avances en la biomedicina que prometen alargar la vida y mejorar la calidad de la salud, cada descubrimiento de hoy está destinado a influir en la vida del mañana. Además, se explorarán tendencias culturales que podrían redefinir nuestras interacciones sociales y nuestro concepto de comunidad.
Acompáñanos en este emocionante viaje hacia el futuro, donde la ciencia y la imaginación se unen para crear un mundo lleno de posibilidades. No te pierdas la oportunidad de ser parte de esta conversación crucial sobre cómo nuestros actos presentes definirán el planeta que heredarán las futuras generaciones. ¡El futuro ya no es ciencia ficción!
**Hashtags:** #Futuro2050, #InnovaciónSostenible, #TendenciasFuturas
**Keywords:** futuro 2050, descubrimientos, retos económicos, sostenibilidad, avances tecnológicos, medicina del futuro, energía renovable, cultura y sociedad, efectos especiales, vida cotidiana.
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DiversiónTranscripción
00:00At the beginning of the 21st century, our planet is more illuminated than ever.
00:16About 85% of our energy comes from fossil fuels, supplies our homes, transports and factories.
00:24In 2050, when the world population exceeds 9 billion, our energy needs will double.
00:35The global energy consumption is equivalent to 17 terawatts, that is, 17 billion watts per day.
00:44Every 15 seconds we extract oil equivalent to an Olympic pool, and the reserves run out.
00:52It's like a human being in a bathtub with droplets.
00:57Instead of pressing the escape button, you open the tap to fill the bathtub.
01:03It's completely absurd.
01:06Gas and coal are also limited.
01:09I just want to understand how the economy will develop in the long term,
01:14how many resources we will have available in the future.
01:19How can we protect the planet while keeping the machine running?
01:23We need clean and renewable energy.
01:26We receive 6,000 times more energy from the sun than we consume annually.
01:36The energy transition is an urgent task and one of the greatest challenges that humanity has undoubtedly faced.
01:44But I think we have reasons to be optimistic.
01:47The total solution is in our hands.
01:49Dominate energy.
01:51This issue has been discussed in countless films for years,
01:54and all options have been considered, even the wildest.
02:03Although the most recurrent fantasy is to look in space for what we would no longer find on Earth,
02:08as in the movies Alien or Moon.
02:1410th, 14th, Pacific time.
02:17I got a full container of helium-3 ready to roll.
02:21By the time this message reaches you, it should be in transit.
02:24Otherwise, everything running smoothly.
02:26Crazy projects are being considered to take advantage of the enormous mineral wealth that comes from asteroids.
02:33In order to extract platinum, titanium and even gold,
02:36the Deep Space Industries company in California has dreamed of mining stations
02:41and the way to dock asteroids within the orbit of the Earth,
02:45with the intention of exploiting its mineral resources.
02:53But all this is still science fiction.
02:55It is on Earth where we must dream of our future.
03:02The key to be able to enhance the conversion systems
03:09is to concentrate the force of the sun.
03:14Petroleum is the heart of the petrochemical industry.
03:17It has to be transformed into something that can be used.
03:20And wind turbines are the best example I can give.
03:27You can only collect energy during the day when it is sunny.
03:30You can collect energy during a windy day,
03:32but people need electricity during the 24 hours of the day.
03:38Having energy in abundance continuously
03:40is the issue that has obsessed us since the beginning of time.
03:48With the discovery of fire 500,000 years ago,
03:51our first ancestors found a new source of energy,
03:55different from that of their own muscles.
03:57Now they could generate light and heat.
03:59Since then, humans have never stopped looking for new fuels.
04:04Always looking for a way to save our own energy,
04:08we have even used the power of animals and the natural environment.
04:12Around 300 BC, we built the first water mills
04:17and began to dream of dominating the inexhaustible source of energy, which is the sun.
04:22Legend has it that in 213 BC,
04:25Archimedes tried to concentrate the sun's rays
04:28using mirrors to ignite the enemy fleet in Syracuse.
04:34In the 7th century, the Persians built windmills
04:37with the intention of grinding the grain.
04:40Over thousands of years, mills, water and wheels
04:43have been the main form of mechanical energy
04:46until James Watt invented the steam engine in 1769.
04:52This innovation caused a strong need for fossil fuels,
04:56mainly coal.
04:59The numerous technological innovations of the Industrial Revolution,
05:03combustion engines and the means to produce gas, liquefied and electricity
05:07did nothing more than reinforce this trend during the 19th century.
05:11When Edwin Drake drained the first modern oil well in the United States,
05:16he caused the Black Hole fever of 1859.
05:20In the first half of the 20th century,
05:22scientists tried to conquer the atom
05:24and in 1954 the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity was built in Russia.
05:32On a global scale, oil has maintained the economy since the 1960s
05:37and we have become addicted to fossil fuels.
05:44We really have all the symptoms of drug addiction.
05:48They are dangerous products, they are becoming more and more expensive,
05:52and we are more and more dependent on them
05:54and we are able to do anything to get them.
05:57Once this is understood, it is clear that we need to find substitutes
06:01and undergo therapy.
06:03This is where my experience as a psychiatrist is very useful.
06:07It is no longer about treating patients one-on-one,
06:10but about finding a solution for the whole of society.
06:14To cure us, perhaps there is a miraculous remedy,
06:17nuclear fusion.
06:20One of the greatest challenges in history has been to achieve nuclear fusion,
06:25a process that we can use to save the planet.
06:31I'm Steve Cowley and I'm 55 years old.
06:36And I've spent my life trying to make nuclear fusion a reality.
06:42The stars make energy.
06:44They take the nuclei of the atoms
06:47and they join them together to make bigger nuclei.
06:51The sun, for example,
06:53absorbs the hydrogen and turns it into helium.
06:57That's why the sun shines.
06:59If we could do the same thing on Earth,
07:02it would be a perfect way to create energy.
07:05Nuclear fusion has been studied for more than 60 years
07:08and has a complex infrastructure.
07:11The Jet of England is one of the largest facilities in the world
07:15dedicated to recreating the process that fills the stars with energy.
07:19Inside this network of cables rests a tokamak,
07:23a donut-shaped confinement device that emits 6 meters in diameter.
07:27This is where the nuclear fusion process takes place.
07:31The reaction generates an excess of energy
07:34that can be used to produce electricity.
07:37To achieve this, they will use the fuel of the fusion
07:41in the form of ionized gas or plasma.
07:44Look at that.
07:46Inside this vessel,
07:48which contains a huge magnetic field,
07:51inside this vessel,
07:53inside this vessel,
07:55inside this vessel,
07:57inside this vessel,
07:59inside this vessel,
08:01inside this vessel,
08:03inside this vessel,
08:05inside this vessel,
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08:09inside this vessel,
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08:13inside this vessel,
08:15inside this vessel,
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08:19inside this vessel,
08:21inside this vessel,
08:23inside this vessel,
08:25inside this vessel,
08:27inside this vessel,
08:29inside this vessel,
08:31inside this vessel,
08:33inside this vessel,
08:35inside this vessel,
08:37inside this vessel,
08:39inside this vessel,
08:41inside this vessel,
08:43inside this vessel,
08:45inside this vessel,
08:47inside this vessel,
08:49inside this vessel,
08:51inside this vessel,
08:53inside this vessel,
08:55inside this vessel,
08:57inside this vessel,
08:59inside this vessel
09:01inside this vessel,
09:03inside this vessel,
09:05inside this vessel
09:07inside this vessel
09:09inside this vessel
09:17But in order to keep that sun embedded
09:19without dimming ...
09:21Scientists still have to overcome
09:23in the energy field, 35 countries are joining their efforts to build the largest tokamak
09:28ever designed, twice the size of the jet.
09:32What's interesting about this new design is that it doesn't need to heat up in the traditional
09:36way to maintain the temperature.
09:40All you have to do is add more fusion fields, and it will just continue to produce more fusion
09:45energy without any energy input at all.
09:50That's like turning on your fireplace, once it's on, you just have to add more firewood,
09:56you don't have to turn it on again because it's already burning.
10:00That's what we have to achieve.
10:02And when we do, it will be one of the milestones in the history of science, because it will
10:07be the first time that a human being has mastered the process by which energy is generated.
10:16People imagine that when you start working with physics, you sit in a desk with a blank
10:22sheet of paper in front of you.
10:24In my case, that's not true.
10:26You have to stand in front of the blackboard, fighting relentlessly with the ideas of another
10:31person, their brain, yours, everyone's ideas.
10:34And there comes a time when you know you're right, because somehow math seems to explain
10:41everything, and that's music to my ears.
10:46But at the end of all the calculations, you see that that's the coherent way of thinking
10:52about a problem.
10:54Those moments are golden moments for me.
11:03Fusion has all the advantages of a source of energy.
11:08It's safe.
11:10It does not produce greenhouse gases.
11:13It does not produce radioactive waste, whose energy lasts a lifetime.
11:17And it's able to keep a whole city.
11:20It could keep a planet complete for millions of years.
11:27Perhaps this dream will come true towards the end of the century, but in the meantime,
11:31there are numerous ways to take advantage of the unlimited energy of our sun.
11:39One square meter of land in Paris consumes 1.3 megawatts per hour, which is equivalent
11:46to a barrel of oil.
11:49Most people ignore that fact.
11:52Now we need to take into account what we didn't know about energy.
11:57Without exploiting until recently, solar energy is booming.
12:00Welcome to the era of the gigantic solar energy plants.
12:05Crescent Dunes, in the Nevada desert, is a thermodynamic solar power plant.
12:10More than 10,000 heliostats, mirrors that follow the path of the sun, form a circle
12:15of 3 kilometers in diameter and concentrate solar light on a receiver fixed at the top
12:20of a tower of 170 meters.
12:26The very high temperatures heat molten salt, which is stored in tanks.
12:31In a second phase it is used to produce steam by moving the turbines to generate electricity.
12:38The plant produces more than 110 megawatts, that is, enough power for more than 75,000
12:44homes.
12:45This technology allows the production of clean energy with zero emissions even after
12:50the setting of the sun.
12:52This industry was practically non-existent 10 years ago.
12:57There was nothing equivalent to the power of nuclear or thermal plants anywhere.
13:02Today we are generating 200 gigawatts all over the world.
13:06And solar energy already represents 1% of our electricity.
13:10All that in just 10 years.
13:13To expand, solar energy requires space.
13:17How can we install it in the center of cities as close as possible to consumers
13:22in order to minimize energy loss?
13:25For now, the only solution is to use fixed solar panels with low performance.
13:30It's a false idea.
13:32When you transform coal or any other source of heat into electricity, the performance
13:37is 33%.
13:40With current photovoltaic panels, the performance is already more than 20%, with almost no
13:47machinery, no pumps, nothing.
13:52The performance is 20% compared to 33%.
13:58That cannot be ignored.
14:01To increase performance, produce energy where people live and create autonomous buildings,
14:07some dream of improving the way existing systems receive solar light.
14:14For me, a building is a machine.
14:18So why not use the machine to convert solar energy?
14:24My name is André Brossel, and I have a vision.
14:29I like to design energetically autonomous buildings, thinking about the future.
14:40All the systems can deploy, for example, in a solar station.
14:46The tracking systems need, as their name indicates, to follow the sun to get the focal
14:53point on the surface where the rays need to converge.
14:59And this movement, which occurs throughout the day, occupies a physical place that is
15:09not available in a building.
15:11It is physically impossible.
15:15The key to have a more efficient solar conversion system is to concentrate the sun's energy.
15:33Using the optical properties of a transparent sphere full of water, André Brossel has invented
15:39a unique solar energy generator, combining efficiency and aesthetics, called RowLemon.
15:47The idea is simple.
15:48The sphere works like a magnifying glass, concentrating solar light towards photovoltaic
15:53cells at the central point.
15:55This ingenious system can produce as much or more energy as a traditional solar panel,
16:00using four times less space.
16:03Okay, this one is throwing 90 watts of incoming light, 2.4 volts and 4.4 ohms, one meter
16:23further back.
16:28Another advantage.
16:29The perfect optical shape of the sphere would make it possible to collect solar energy even
16:34when it was cloudy.
16:36But that's not all.
16:41You don't need to move the whole system.
16:44The focal point is always in the same position behind the lens.
16:49It's traveling with the sun.
16:51You just need to replace the parachute behind it to capture it.
17:22I reduced the sun's rays to 1% per square meter.
17:26It's clear vision because the transfer is so high.
17:31So, I take out of this 1% same power-rated energy as a conventional solar panel.
17:41The spheres can be obtained in different sizes.
17:44Ultimately, the idea is to integrate them into glass panels to build the facades of
17:50the buildings of tomorrow.
17:52Imagine a skyscraper with thousands of square meters of facade and only 100 meters of roof.
18:00So, you install a conventional solar panel and you have a glass roof.
18:06You're not going to cover 20% of the building's consumption.
18:11But if you cover the entire facade with spheres, you can supply energy to the entire building.
18:37What is absolutely surprising is that in a year or two, solar and wind energy have
18:43started to produce electricity cheaper than oil, gas or coal.
18:48And that's not a revolution.
18:50It just means that most of today's research is done on renewable energies and not on
18:56fossil fuels.
19:07Wind is another important renewable energy for tomorrow, but like solar energy, wind
19:13energy is difficult to implement in big cities.
19:17Wind turbines respond to almost 2% of the global energy needed.
19:22In some countries like Denmark, they generate 20% of the annual electricity production.
19:29But wind turbines are huge machines that need to face the wind in open spaces where
19:35they can generate more than 13 meters per second.
19:44How can we implement wind energy all over the world?
19:47Tomorrow, two out of every three people will live in colossal cities like Hong Kong.
19:54All cities have something in common.
19:57They are built to protect people from elements, rain, storms, winds, etc.
20:03Turbines that need winds of 13 meters per second don't make sense there.
20:10My name is Lucien, I'm 58 years old, and I'm trying to find alternative energies that
20:17are still relevant in 50 years.
20:25We live in a world where things have to be practical.
20:29We must be able to use what we invent.
20:33Any scientist with self-love has to be able to fight against global warming.
20:42He has to do it.
20:48Offering solutions doesn't necessarily mean spending years and years investigating.
20:55It's just about simplifying existing systems.
21:00To implement wind energy in cities, Lucien has designed a system similar to wind turbines.
21:07They are 26 centimeters in diameter, are modular, and can operate with winds as weak as one meter per second.
21:16The best thing is that you only have to connect them to each other.
21:20Each turbine has a surface area of 26 centimeters, so if you use 10 of them,
21:26you end up with a row of 2.6 meters of interconnected turbines.
21:31Working as one, we are able to cover large surfaces with very small devices,
21:38producing enormous amounts of energy.
21:44The design of these micro turbines is particularly ingenious.
21:48The wind blows through a cylinder, allowing the turbines to operate in both directions,
21:53without having the wind in the face, unlike the traditional 3-axis turbines.
21:58These plastic-molded and one-piece devices are practically indestructible and easy to install.
22:09I always describe my system in a very simple way, compared to traditional turbines.
22:15Ours cost half as much and produce five times as much energy,
22:21with very low wind speeds.
22:24They last much longer.
22:26They can last 50 years, while conventional turbines last 15 to 20 years.
22:32And the production cost of one kilowatt hour is between 25 and 50 times cheaper.
22:40This concept of extremely profitable urban wind turbines has already spread over 45 countries.
22:47In Hong Kong, there are 60 installations today,
22:50but they are still far from being able to meet the enormous energy need of the city,
22:55simply because of the available space.
23:00The energy produced by an installation is enough to feed a two-story house.
23:09So imagine 100 or 200 floors.
23:17Hong Kong is interesting from an energy perspective,
23:21because I think it is the worst mistake possible.
23:25They don't have much space here,
23:27so they have managed to pile up 7 million people in an area smaller than Paris.
23:33The buildings are 100 to 150 meters high.
23:38Energy consumption is 5, 6, 7, 10 times higher than anywhere else in the world.
23:44It's horrible.
23:58People pay their bills.
24:01But apart from that, they have no idea what energy is.
24:07Electricity is not visible.
24:11At some point, they will need to understand the cost of that energy,
24:17because once they are aware, they will tend to save it.
24:21If nothing is done in the next few years,
24:24if nothing changes,
24:26all megacities will look like Hong Kong.
24:33But if we can solve the problem in Hong Kong,
24:36basically we will have solved it all over the world.
24:51Some say that a drastic decrease in the price of oil
24:54will seriously damage the development of renewable energies.
24:58But I think we have to look at it differently.
25:00Today we can use cheap oil to build wind turbines,
25:04solar panels and biofuel plants.
25:07We can use economic energy to build sustainable infrastructures.
25:13This is the direction we need to take to avoid oil.
25:18It should be used to build something durable,
25:22not to burn in a car or in an oven.
25:31For more than a century, the electricity we use daily
25:34has been generated by power plants using fossil fuels,
25:38and also by nuclear power plants and hydroelectric plants,
25:42as well as by wind farms and solar panels.
25:47The last two resources are intermittent
25:49and should be integrated into the old electrical networks
25:52that need continuous improvements.
25:54If a line or a plant falls,
25:56it is not able to produce enough electricity,
25:59we have a blackout.
26:03The current network has been built and optimized
26:06for a certain mode of production.
26:09Today production is evolving
26:12because we are heading towards the distribution of energy,
26:15a part of the network can become a resource source.
26:19A wind turbine on the Breton coast
26:23can supply electricity to local residents.
26:28The network is changing, but there is no need to be pessimistic.
26:32By replacing the old,
26:34by changing polluting systems for clean systems,
26:38by adequate technology and by managing
26:41through smart networks,
26:43we will be able to develop things
26:46long before problems arise.
26:55The idea of an intelligent electrical distribution network,
26:58or intelligent network,
27:00consists of integrating innovative computer technologies
27:03in each part of the network,
27:05with the intention of optimizing production and distribution
27:08and adjusting demand peaks.
27:14Electricity cannot be stored easily and quickly on a large scale.
27:21Smart network technologies adjust supply and demand in real time,
27:26based on prioritizing consumer needs.
27:36Finally, renewable energy resources,
27:39as well as energy production systems
27:42at the level of users,
27:44are integrated into these smart networks.
27:49In the summer months,
27:51excess power is reused in the main grid
27:54or in nearby houses.
27:59And vice versa,
28:01when a house does not produce enough electricity,
28:04it receives excess solar energy from other houses
28:07or from the electrical grid.
28:10This is possible with the use of smart counters,
28:13remotely controlled and connected
28:15to all electrical devices in our house.
28:20Batteries can store or release electricity
28:23depending on the time of day.
28:25Supply and demand are managed precisely
28:28using the principle of communicating vessels.
28:32Energy intercommunication will soon become a reality.
28:35The network will be increasingly better adjusted
28:38to more sensitive and autonomous electrical systems
28:41that limit energy waste.
28:44We must abandon the idea
28:46that there will be only one solution
28:48to cover all our production, efficiency and storage needs.
28:52There will be a multitude of solutions.
28:54That is what is intelligent and interesting.
28:58Each country, each company, even each village
29:02will be able to apply the techniques
29:05that best adapt to their climate, their economy,
29:08their industrial level and their mentality.
29:14We need to improve systems at all levels.
29:17At the same time, we have to improve the energy efficiency
29:20of everything that surrounds us,
29:22starting with the isolation of homes.
29:27But the biggest challenge is in the industrial field.
29:3036% of the world's energy is consumed by the industrial sector.
29:35Half of that energy is consumed
29:37to manufacture only five materials,
29:40steel, cement, paper, plastic and aluminum.
29:44If we cannot use less energy to manufacture them,
29:47then we will have to settle for less.
29:54We could use a third less of these materials
29:57without compromising the solidity
29:59or the operation of buildings or vehicles.
30:03But we need to go further.
30:08For many years, in which we have been collecting information,
30:12I have realized that at the end of the process,
30:15the cost of electricity was greater than at the beginning.
30:18So we need to go to the beginning of that process
30:21and see what we build and how we build it
30:24to save materials and to make the system work in the long term,
30:27to return that value to the same system.
30:30Things would be very different then.
30:34We consume and accumulate non-stop objects over and over again.
30:38But how have they been manufactured?
30:40With what components?
30:42When they go out of fashion or stop working,
30:44we just throw them away.
30:46With the intention of saving more and more energy,
30:49we need to instill systematic and large-scale recycling.
30:53The figures speak for themselves.
30:55The energy wasted on throwing away newspapers or soda cans
30:59is equivalent to the productivity of 15 power plants.
31:03Conversely, the energy saved by recycling steel
31:06is equivalent to the annual electricity supply of 18 million homes.
31:10If you look at manufacturing new devices, for example,
31:14it is not done as efficiently as it should be.
31:18And that affects the system.
31:21You change the system so that you are unable to find options.
31:24Because you can't deal with all the energy
31:28spent on hundreds and hundreds of wind turbines.
31:33You're saying...
31:34That's why we need to seriously consider
31:37a complete change in the system.
31:41But can everything be recycled?
31:43Wait a minute. What are you doing, Doc?
31:47I need fuel.
31:51Go ahead. Quick, get in the car.
32:22The smartphone.
32:24It's manufacturing a sustainable model
32:26aptly called Fairphone.
32:29We started making phones
32:31because we know they're a symbol of our economic system.
32:35My name is Tessa Burning and I'm 39 years old.
32:40I do believe that together we can change
32:43the way we produce our phones.
32:47What we found was that smartphones
32:49had an incredible impact in our minds,
32:52in the materials that we use to build them,
32:55and in our working conditions,
32:57in the way that we use them in the short term
33:00and in the way that we recycle them.
33:03And with our project,
33:05we believe that we can change some aspects of this process.
33:10Fairphone is a marked contrast
33:12with traditional smartphones
33:14that have a closed design,
33:16a compact system that we can't fix ourselves if it breaks down.
33:20They contain more than 40 precious metals,
33:22some combined and used in tiny amounts
33:25in each part of the phone,
33:27making them difficult to recycle.
33:31Finally, they're not ethical.
33:32Some of the metals used,
33:34like the tantalum extracted from the coltan,
33:36come from areas of war, like East Congo.
33:40We use the tantalum that comes from gold or fair trade,
33:44or areas of the world that are free from conflict.
33:47We look at the design,
33:49because one of the main points to make Fairphones
33:52is to take that design
33:54and turn it into something that lasts a long time,
33:57and that the people are able to repair it themselves.
34:04What we're looking for with our designs
34:06is that if something breaks,
34:07you don't have to throw the phone in the trash.
34:11I am Miguel Ballester,
34:13and my vision for the world is that
34:15more companies are created
34:17that do what they can to make a more sustainable world.
34:23Our Fairphone doesn't make a huge difference
34:27compared to what we have done.
34:29You start to notice our work
34:31when you take away the integrated case.
34:34When you take it away easily,
34:36or with details like the battery
34:38that can be replaced by yourself,
34:40something that used to be normal and has now ceased to be,
34:43or with things like being able to change the screen yourself
34:47simply with your fingers,
34:49which is equally important.
34:54You can take it away very easily,
34:56so if it breaks, you think,
34:58great, I can buy a new screen
35:00and I can change it myself.
35:02You don't have to leave the phone forgotten in a drawer.
35:10It's very important that we can repair the phones ourselves
35:13because even their recycling takes a lot of energy.
35:16So what we can do through the product design
35:19is get a simpler recycling.
35:21It's not about a percentage of customers
35:23keeping the phone for as long as possible.
35:26It's about extending the life of the phone
35:29as long as possible.
35:31And that happens with the phone as a whole,
35:34that it goes from hand to hand,
35:36or with the pieces of the phone,
35:38or with the materials it contains,
35:40and that everything is designed
35:42so that its value can go beyond the buyer,
35:45that it can be recycled,
35:47and go back to the beginning of the whole process.
35:54Making the inhabitants of the planet accept this
35:57is a natural part of doing business.
36:00It's a very important shift in thinking
36:03in a very short period of time.
36:06I think that everybody needs to abandon
36:09the idea of making a competition
36:12and move more towards collaboration.
36:19There are initiatives everywhere
36:21that are working to build a fairer world
36:24and to devour less energy by 2050.
36:27However, in the meantime,
36:29greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere,
36:32especially carbon dioxide,
36:34and there's no easy way to get rid of them.
36:37I think the central problem
36:39is the burning of solid fuels.
36:43My name is Andrew Woods,
36:45and I'm 51 years old.
36:47Reducing polluting emissions
36:49is the main goal of a society
36:51that, in the meantime,
36:53has to keep producing energy.
36:57When we burn fossil fuels,
36:59the carbon dioxide that we produce
37:02rises up into the atmosphere
37:04and enters the atmosphere
37:06and becomes part of the greenhouse gases,
37:09gases that don't dissipate in hundreds of years.
37:14If we want to change our energy system
37:17from fossil fuels to renewable energy,
37:20that's going to take several decades.
37:24The idea is to implement
37:26new production processes
37:28where the emissions are smaller.
37:35So, rather than letting
37:37the greenhouse gases
37:39reach the atmosphere,
37:41the ideal would be to store them
37:43at ground level,
37:45liquefying and burying them
37:47in an aquifer
37:49about two kilometres from the surface,
37:52where the porosity of the earth
37:54and the composition of certain rocks
37:56would be of great help
37:58when retaining these greenhouse gases.
38:03But storing liquid carbon dioxide
38:05inside the rocks
38:07involves a few problems.
38:09Bombing the carbon dioxide
38:11underground can be a problem
38:13because the pressure can cause
38:15it to contaminate an aquifer.
38:17So it's necessary to make sure
38:19that it doesn't escape easily
38:21to the surface of the place
38:23where we inject it.
38:27In his laboratory at Cambridge University,
38:29Andrew Woods and his team
38:31try to understand the mechanics of fluids.
38:33The dynamics in play are very complex,
38:35very difficult to predict and reproduce,
38:37and even more so,
38:39to have a reliable model.
38:42We want to understand
38:44how the injected gas works underground
38:47and how long it takes to dissolve in the water.
38:50We have to understand
38:52how it is stored underground
38:54and whether that storage is safe.
38:58Mondstadt, Norway,
39:00is home to the largest carbon dioxide
39:02capture facility in the world.
39:04Here, 100,000 tonnes of this gas
39:06are processed every year.
39:08Various technologies are being tested
39:10for the large-scale capture
39:12and storage of carbon dioxide.
39:14The oil industry is particularly
39:16interested in this process,
39:18as it is the largest
39:20in the world.
39:24If you look historically,
39:26you'll see that as we've gone
39:28from wood to oil and so on,
39:30that transition has taken us
39:32several decades.
39:34So to make a similar transition
39:36would take us a long time
39:38and an enormous investment
39:40in infrastructure.
39:42So the sooner we start acting,
39:44the sooner we move
39:46forward.
40:08There is no need to imagine
40:10going down to the abyss
40:12to extract hydrocarbons,
40:14as we see in science fiction.
40:16The ocean has a lot to offer.
40:18The resources of blue energy
40:20that we are starting to repair,
40:22the study of algae,
40:24will soon lead to new types
40:26of biofuel.
40:28Wind power plants
40:30with innovative shapes
40:32could take advantage
40:34of the energy of the tides
40:36and the waves.
40:38Giant submarine turbines
40:40are being installed
40:42in the Atlantic Ocean.
40:48But the oceans also provide
40:50another source of potentially
40:52unlimited energy.
40:54It's called ocean thermal energy
40:56conversion, UOTEC,
40:58for its acronym in English.
41:02The ocean is the world's largest
41:04battery, the world's largest
41:06energy storage system.
41:08My name is Duke Hartman.
41:10I'm 29 years old,
41:12and I believe the challenge
41:14of our generation
41:16is to achieve affordable
41:18and renewable energy.
41:24The biggest source of energy
41:26we have is the sun,
41:28and the ocean collects
41:30all that energy in the form
41:32of heat, thus storing
41:34an immense amount of energy
41:36in its upper layers.
41:38If we can capture all that energy,
41:40we can use it 24 hours a day,
41:42365 days a year,
41:44and that use
41:46could be something that changes
41:48the rules of the game
41:50in terms of the energy independence
41:52of the nations interested,
41:54like Hawaii.
41:58Like any other island in the world,
42:00Hawaii is extremely concerned
42:02about the problems related
42:04to climate change.
42:06Lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
42:08the Hawaiian Islands aim
42:10to get rid of fossil fuels
42:12and become the first
42:14North American state
42:16to reach 100% renewable energy
42:18by 2045.
42:20Right now, Hawaii depends
42:22entirely on fossil fuel
42:24for its energy supply.
42:26The goal of UOTEC
42:28is to get local
42:30renewable resources
42:32for the first time.
42:50What we need to do
42:52is to set up pumping circuits
42:54for the surface water
42:56and the deep water.
42:58We need both, that is,
43:00to pump the sea energy.
43:02When we pump,
43:04water enters the plant.
43:06It is the source of heat
43:08that heats the fluids
43:10that mix with ammonia,
43:12reducing, in turn,
43:14the temperature of these fluids
43:16so that they can boil
43:18at the same temperature
43:20as the water in the ocean.
43:22As you can see,
43:24the fluid moves
43:26simply with the temperature
43:28and at that point
43:30is where the plant
43:32starts to run.
43:34The fluid becomes
43:36a high-pressure steam
43:38that moves a turbine
43:40that produces energy
43:42and then returns
43:44to the cold part of the system
43:46to condense
43:48in liquid form
43:50and restart the cycle
43:52so that it never
43:54leaves the system.
43:59So basically,
44:01you set up all the equipment
44:03at the first moment
44:05and once you start pumping
44:07seawater, it generates
44:09a force map that can
44:11keep the plant running
44:13and supply energy to the network.
44:15So basically, the fuel
44:17is free. We're using
44:19sunlight and seawater.
44:21That's the only thing.
44:23This is the electrical system.
44:25We're driving between
44:27100 megawatts per hour
44:29in normal hours
44:31and 115 megawatts in peak hours
44:33and continuously
44:35throughout the day.
44:37What we're doing here
44:39is validating the technology
44:41of the turbines
44:43and we're going to scale
44:45and commercialize it.
44:47Scaling up the size
44:49of the installations
44:51and pushing us away
44:53from the ocean
44:55requires longer pipes
44:57and floating platforms
44:59and that all that material
45:01is able to withstand
45:03the hardness of the sea.
45:05But it's not something
45:07that we can't do.
45:09Humanity always finds
45:11a way and engineering
45:13a solution to solve
45:15the challenges.
45:17We think that we can
45:19produce four times
45:21the equivalent of the
45:23population,
45:25quadruple the population
45:27and still maintain
45:29the supply.
45:31The favorable areas
45:33for Laotek cover
45:35more than 120 million
45:37square kilometers,
45:39a third of the world's
45:41ocean surface.
45:43Laotek's theoretical principles
45:45were formulated for the first time
45:47in the 19th century and even
45:49Julio Verne refers to them
45:51Laotek will be launched
45:53in Martinique in 2018.
45:55Located 7 kilometers
45:57from the coast,
45:59the first 16 megawatt floating platform
46:01will supply electricity
46:03to 35,000 homes.
46:05Despite the relatively low
46:07efficiency of Laotek plants
46:09to generate electricity
46:11all day long without
46:13having to store energy,
46:15it is an attractive option
46:17to support an energy mix
46:19for the south and for the islands.
46:37We have to take care
46:39of the planet individually
46:41and as a group
46:43and at this moment
46:45we are trying to continue
46:47to do so.
46:55We have to take care
46:57of the whole world
46:59together and that means
47:01responsibility,
47:03a task that consists
47:05of taking care
47:07of the environment
47:09because now we are
47:11at an inflection point
47:13and if we want our children
47:15we have to make a drastic change.
47:27One of the challenges
47:29that we have to face
47:31is trying to change
47:33the energy production systems
47:35that we have today
47:37because it is necessary
47:39to do it systematically.
47:41We have all the ingredients
47:43to produce large amounts
47:45of energy while
47:47we preserve the planet.
47:49Fundamentally, changing the world
47:51and making better use of energy
47:53is possible.
47:55It is a great moment
47:57for the pioneers,
47:59for the explorers,
48:01inventors and innovators
48:03to reach new and
48:05extraordinary solutions
48:07but we have to let them
48:09change what we have now.
48:11What we have now is not enough.
48:13It seemed to be,
48:15but it is not anymore.
48:17We must encourage change.