Without energy, nothing happens. Energy puts things in motion but may produce carbon emissions as a by-product. By electrifying our society, we can do more without unfortunate side effects. We all need more power.
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More and more devices are fed by a cord full of charged particles flowing through it. While I’ve personally never seen these particles, I believe in electricity.
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The electrification of our society is an inevitable development. The question of how electricity is produced and for what it is consumed also electrifies public discourse. Some are more interested in steady electricity production, such as nuclear power. Others are excited about wind and solar power. There are also those who note that hydropower is used in the grid to balance fluctuations in supply and demand. All of these require more investments.
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Why do we need electricity? At home, it is easy to see that there are cords running from various devices. Industry is also increasingly switching to electric alternatives. In the future, we will be able to capture CO2 from bioenergy production by using electricity. Time will tell what kinds of products will be manufactured using captured CO2.
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Some consider the hydrogen economy nothing more than electricity-guzzling nonsense while others believe that you can make anything out of hydrogen. I’m not sure if we can make a hippo or a new Elizabeth Taylor out of hydrogen, but it is my understanding that combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide enables us to manufacture products such as chemical and fuels. What is essential to industry is the security of electricity supply and a reasonable price.
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Imposing a tax on bioenergy is a bad idea. It would significantly hamper the competitiveness and investment prerequisites of the forest industry, hurt our country’s security of supply and make it harder for Finland to reach the renewable energy targets set by the EU. Only a competitive forest industry can thrive in a world of CO2 recovery and hydrogen economy.
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P.S. I personally have a hard time figuring out the future importance of hydrogen in practice. For those excited about hydrogen, I came up with a slogan. “Hydrogen is number one – at least in the periodic table”.