A new age of energy is dawning, and the usual communication systems are undergoing change. If both aspects are to be dealt with successfully, we will need a new holistic approach.

The new energy era with its change-over to renewable energies has been accompanied by a long and vigorous debate across society. As new concepts replace the old structures and the old certainties, new conflicts are inevitable. In that process, it will not only be a question of continuing the familiar principled debate about, say, atomic energy. The new green technologies will also generate resistance, as we can already see in the arguments setting off wind farms against bird protection and power transmission lines against landscape protection. Similarly, the divide between the die-hards and the pioneers will not remain as clear-cut as previously thought ... » Read the whole article