What does a future without fossil fuels sound like? What will be on the news? Vattenfall, which is a big player in the wind power market and also the solar power market (especially in Europe), has taken a shot at answering the question. Last week, the company had “Radio Fossil Freedom” broadcasting at some EV charging stations in Stockholm, Sweden (it also has an EV charging initiative called InCharge), and now “Radio Fossil Freedom” is available on Spotify.
Setting up its fun ploy, Vattenfall wrote, “What would a radio program from the future sound like – one generation from today? In a future when electrical vehicles are the new normal and the industry uses fossil free electricity in their production. Two years ago Vattenfall presented the ‘Museum of Fossil Fuels’, an exhibition displaying outdated fuel sources from the past, now comes the sequel – ‘Radio Fossil Freedom’.” (I have to say, a “Museum of Fossil Fuels” sounds like fun too, but we apparently missed that one.)
But what use does a fossil-free radio station have today? Well, humor goes a long way in waking people up, as does creating a more tangible (or audible) example of the future. “Many other things that have been a natural part of our everyday lives will be forgotten, and other phenomena will take their place. With ‘Radio Fossil Freedom’ Vattenfall seeks to inspire the public towards a fossil free future, by visualizing it today.” I haven’t listened to the radio station because I wasn’t in Stockholm last week and I don’t have a Spotify account, but it certainly sounds like an interesting program and I’d love to hear how Vattenfall puts you in that future. Side note: it would be wonderful if we could arrive in that future soon-ish.
Oh, right after writing that, I see that Vattenfall is on the same page (of course, it inspired the article with this new radio station/Spotify channel, so I guess it is part of the company’s not-evil plan that I would start thinking about timelines). “Our goal is to enable a fossil free living within one generation, In order to muster the strength required for the desired transformation, it is important that it feels achievable,” the company writes. “Radio Fossil Freedom’s purpose is to induce that feeling, in a somewhat lighthearted manner. The radio station is basically a ‘rift in the fabric of time’ which gives us the ability to hear what a fossil free future could sound like, says Susanna Hurtig, Director of E-mobility Nordics at Vattenfall.”
It certainly sounds like a cool concept. Perhaps someone here with Spotify wants to check it out and report back on what you are hearing. Here is the Spotify link.
Sweden is Vattenfall’s home base, and the retirement of fossil fuels surely looks a bit more optimistic and within reach than in most other places. Aside from having a decent portion of its electricity coming from renewable energy (in 2017, 66% of electricity came from renewables), the country is also second only to Norway in its share of new vehicle sales being plugin vehicle sales.
It’s safe to say that Sweden will get to fossil-fuel freedom before most other places. Another reason to move to Sweden?
In the meantime, visit the Radio Fossil Freedom webpage for more visionary fun.
