The goal is to continue to live in a comfortable modern society
People, especially in developed countries, currently enjoy the comforts of modern society. I think no one would disagree with the "goal picture" of creating a system that allows all people to enjoy this lifestyle and continue to do so for hundreds or thousands of years to come, without adversely affecting other living beings on this planet. And I think it is the discussion of decarbonized energy that captures the above issue, especially from the perspective of "sustainability" related to energy.
And since the discussion here is based on the proposition of "sustainability" of "living in a comfortable modern society," we cannot ignore the financial issues. We must base our thinking on global investment trends and the economic issues they influence.
In addition, it is also necessary to confirm the readiness of the supporting industrial and scientific technology to ensure that the investment will allow us to obtain the solutions to build the necessary structure and to confirm that the necessary industrial and scientific technology can be obtained from the R&D sector.
So how do we reconcile "living in a comfortable modern society" and "sustainability"? What technologies should be prepared in advance, especially from the perspective of decarbonized energy? Let's take a look at some history.
Background of the discussion so far
The collapse of Lehman Brothers 15 years ago showed the limits of the industrial revolution that began approximately two hundred years ago and became the basis of our current comfortable lifestyle. It showed the limits of the investment activity driven by the industrial revolution and the limits of the modern society it supported.
The smart grid was expected to solve the electricity problem, a typical example of an energy problem, using the latest digital technology. At the time, however, the technology was not available, making the project economically unviable and slowing investment.
The savior came related to the manufacturing industry, which was ready to make the latest investments in digitalization. This focus on manufacturing led to the formation of digital-related markets, and global investment in semiconductors, the core technology of digitalization, has continued to this day.
While digitalization as an economic aspect of modern society has offered the prospect of solving energy problems, it has not clearly demonstrated its contribution to global environmental sustainability. Instead, there have been debates, for example, about the energy needs of cutting-edge semiconductor factories and data centers, and about whether digitalized vehicles (such as EVs), including their manufacturing processes, are truly environmentally friendly.
Decarbonized energy and how we could be ready to realize our goal
Therefore, I believe that what is needed today is to discuss the overall optimization for the coexistence of "living in a comfortable modern society" and "sustainability".
First, from the perspective of "sustainability," I think that the energy source would be the use of solar energy, which we can assume will continue for the foreseeable future through natural nuclear fusion. If the light of the sun is to be used directly, photovoltaic power generation will be the energy source, and if the heating of the air by the light is to be used, wind power generation is the energy source that should be considered first. As for the places where people will live and work, insulated houses and buildings (such as ZEBs) must also be prepared.
These related devices must be equipped with functions to continuously monitor their operating conditions at each end, as was the goal of the smart grid. And every place where people live and work will need to be equipped with appropriate energy storage to ensure a stable power supply. These issues were identified 15 years ago, and as a result of subsequent investments, the problems preventing their realization are on the verge of being solved, both technologically and economically.
Moreover, it will be necessary to use advanced semiconductors in every corner of automobiles and other means of transportation. This will also help reduce traffic congestion and accidents. Therefore, the new market that will emerge will be for fully digitalized means of transportation, such as EVs, and digital infrastructure to optimize the entire energy network, including EVs. Logic, memory, and power semiconductors to support this digital infrastructure, as well as generative AI and quantum computing based on these semiconductors, will also be essential elements.
In the previous section 2, I explained that the focus on manufacturing has contributed to investment in digitalization, but semiconductor investment itself is currently based on investment in smartphones and other personal devices. However, this market itself is showing signs of saturation. Once the digital infrastructure that optimizes the fully digitalized means of transportation and the entire energy network mentioned above are in place, sustained investment in semiconductors will also be possible.
Practical implementation of decarbonized energy
The challenge is to take a broad view of the path to the target image of "living in a comfortable modern society" and discuss the overall optimization among various professionals. I think this will be a great activity, and I believe that simply compiling the conclusions of meetings held by each professional individually will not achieve a reasonable overall optimization, no matter how much time is spent.
Fortunately, hubs for industry, science, and technology, such as ITRI, are being developed around the world. These can be expected to integrate discussions between countries and act as translators for each other. In this way, they can be expected to work in tandem with each other to achieve overall optimization.
In addition, these hubs are also expected to serve as a bridge between industry and academia within each country. I believe that by utilizing these functions, we will be able to find solutions in the field of decarbonized energy that fully utilize cutting-edge science and technology for industrialization.
