Energy
Diversify and expand alternative energies
Energy is of course essential to human activity, but humanity is faced with a new challenge: inventing a new energy equation allowing the sustainability of our activity while ensuring the preservation of our planet. Energy consumption more than doubled between 1980 and 2020, with still a strong predominance of fossil fuels which represent 80% of the energy mix. It is therefore necessary to reduce the speed at which our energy needs increase, while changing the energy mix used to meet these needs.
What are the biggest challenges in this sector for the next decade ?
Among the many challenges facing the energy sector in the coming years, the main one seems to us to be the rapid and drastic reduction of greenhouse gases. This reduction can be based on several axes, four of which seem to us to encompass the majority of the environmental and societal impact:
- The electrification of uses, both industrial and private for all fixed uses (production, heating)
- The development of 100% carbon-free electricity production (nuclear, fusion, renewable, deep geothermal)
- The development of alternative fuels for transport (Ammonia, Hydrogen, etc.)
- The reduction of energy consumption itself, thanks to the optimization of current processes
Why we believe deeptech can solve the biggest challenges ?
We need solutions that are fast and have massive impact. The development of truly disruptive solutions capable of bringing significant gains is not yet tangible enough among manufacturers in the sector, most of whom live very comfortably with the current system. Science can provide truly innovative solutions in the field of chemistry (new fuels), physics (fusion, deep geothermal energy) and engineering sciences (process optimization), making it possible to bring rapid and long-term gains which could then scale, once de-risked and backed by the power of large industrial groups.
What kind of project do we want to create there ?
We are looking for projects with the potential to have a very broad environmental, societal and economic impact. Here are some examples of topics that caught our attention:
- Deep geothermal energy, ensuring reliable production of electricity or heat, not dependent on weather conditions, and with a truly minimal environmental impact
- Optimization of hydrogen production, in order to make green hydrogen competitive against gray hydrogen (produced from fossil resources)
- Development of a concept of solar energy that is more efficient and not dependent on sunlight on the ground