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.
Roland
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.

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.