💡 The Energy Society Manifesto

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1. The goal is a low fixed cost for all the clean energy we need.
2. An abundance of clean energy will enable humanity to reach the next level of civilization.
3. The transition away from dependency on fossil fuels will promote democracy and freedom for all.
4. The internetification of energy distribution will enable true independence from old hierarchical power structures.
5. The voluntary and fair exchange between equal and independent local energy actors will create a long-term stable energy solution.
6. A system of many thousands of cooperating energy communities will deliver a more robust energy system.
7. No new radical technical breakthroughs are needed.
8. Scaling and smart engineering with continuous improvement to core technology such as generation, storage and local distribution of energy in cooperating clusters will need to continue.
9. New software standards that are fully open and vendor-neutral will have to be developed and integrated at scale.
10. Everyone who wants to help make the energy society a reality is welcome to join.

An Energy Society for the next level of civilization

At this time in history, an abundance of clean energy for a low fixed cost is possible.

The Energy Society is the next level of civilization. An abundance of clean, low-cost energy will make it possible to create things that today are impossible:

• It will be a platform to build upon. Things we can’t even imagine today. Just like the internet, it will unleash a new wave of human creativity.
• Help rid us of our dependence on fossil fuels.
• Undermine dictatorships fueled by oil and gas, and instead promote democracy and freedom.
• A much more resilient energy system, that can better handle the stress of natural disasters, war, terrorism and conflicts.
• The world will improve faster within the Energy Society.

Time for a new energy system

The hierarchical power distribution structures of today were designed in the era of the old telephone systems from the last century. It was a marvel of innovation and engineering, but created before we had electronics, computers and software. While telephone and electronic communication have been disrupted through “internetification”, the principles for conventional electric power grids are unchanged.

Now, much-needed change will come through the Energy Society.

The structure of change

A voluntary and fair exchange between equal and independent local energy communities is the key to a long-term stable energy solution.

Energy communities are neighbors cooperating and creating local grids by connecting their homes, offices, factories and other buildings to each other. Using storage, like batteries, they share energy with each other. Neighbors also contribute, with energy production to the local grid, from sources like wind and solar.

Energy communities are fundamental building blocks for production, storage and sharing. In the Energy Society many thousands of energy communities are connected to each other, and cooperate.

The energy communities are the underpinning for a robust energy delivery system, to provide the resilience that should be a given foundation for a modern society.

The principles of Internet architecture are the framework for how the exchange between energy communities is conducted.

The technology needed is here

No technical breakthroughs are needed to create the Energy Society. Through scaling, innovation and smart engineering the technologies will improve, become cheaper, better, more efficient and smarter, but no breakthroughs are required to create the Energy Society.

As with the Internet, new software standards that are fully open and vendor-neutral will have to be developed and integrated at scale.

The Energy Society is a forward movement

This fundamental change will take time. The Energy Society will grow in parallel with existing traditional power structures – just like the Internet.

Make the Energy Society come sooner

A society is for everyone. Everyone who wants to help make the energy society a reality is welcome to join. All ideas, skills and viewpoints will be needed to build, maintain and evolve the Energy Society.

Just like the Energy Society this manifesto will evolve and expand.

Authored by The Project Energy Society members Jonas Birgersson, Staffan Sölve and Mathias Sundin.

Find more info and join Project Energy Society here.