The 2000 Watt Society: a vision becomes reality

A vision of the future called the “2000 Watt Society” will be presented on the first day of the EcoMaterials Conference in Santa Clara by Swiss architect Roland Stulz. 2000 watts is the average world-wide energy demand per capita. The vision of a 2000 Watt Society calls for the reduction of energy consumption by a factor 3 to 6 in the northern hemisphere and for countries of the southern hemisphere to develop their economies with an increase in energy input by a factor 3 to 6, but in a sustainable manner.

ImageRoland Stulz will present a vision of the future called the “2000 Watt Society” on the first day of the EcoMaterials Conference in Santa Clara. He is a Swiss architect involved in an innovative program called “Novatlantis” at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH. The program confronts the world-wide energy demand with a vision that calls for reduction of energy consumption in the northern hemisphere, and that development of economies in a sustainable manner in the southern hemisphere.

In the nineties a group of professors at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH created a vision with precise and comprehensible criteria: the "2000 Watt Society".

2000 watts is the average world-wide energy demand per capita. In Latin America the demand is between 300 and 500 watts, in Europe around 6000 watts and in North America more than 10,000 watts.

The vision of a 2000 Watt Society calls for the reduction of energy consumption by a factor 3 to 6 in the northern hemisphere whilst the countries of the southern hemisphere should develop their economies with an increase in energy input by a factor 3 to 6. This additional energy input must by all means be achieved in a sustainable way with best available efficiency and technology.

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The "Novatlantis" program demonstrates to researchers and decision-makers that this vision can truly be achieved. Within Novatlantis scientists and practitioners develop concept cars, zero emission buildings and renewable fuel and test them in demonstration projects. The development of sustainable cities is experienced in a public private partnership.

The discussion must be continued on the possibilities of such a sustainable urban development in Latin America: technically, ecologically and economically.

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