Columnists: Hans Nilsson, Fourfact
Published on: 8 Jul 2019
"Mr Nilsson, you don’t understand. We need more power - not less!"
I had given my best effort to show how economising the available energy resources and help the country with first-aid and take steps out of a dire situation with black-outs. Emergencies which I found was to a great extent depending on obvious waste of energy for purposes that could easily be either dispensed with, rescheduled or replaced with simple but more efficient technologies.
I was sent by an aid organisation and the response with the words above was that of an assistant to the energy minister in the receiving country. I had obviously not made my case well enough and his words are still ringing in my ears after more than 40 years. In his mind the problem was to find more power to ease their suffering. Energy efficiency was not seen as a solution, not even in the short term, that he could accept (or understand).
But the attitude of this assistant seems to be all too common even today. Read Hans Nilsson's column: the sound of silence. Maybe we have to reflect on this and blame ourselves? It is so obvious now that we must find new ways to communicate our message! Not by arguing and convincing but by changing our language!
In a famous Swedish poem [1] a person is praised because he was able to speak to common men using their simple language but also to learned men using Latin. Maybe that is our problem - we are not able to speak to the minds and hearts of common people (that includes politicians) but only to learned people that understands the complexity of energy efficiency and systems. Read Hans Nilsson's column: efficiency is not difficult.?
[1] Fridolin by Erik Axel Karlfeldt.
Other columns by Hans Nilsson
Feb 2024
Sep 2022
May 2020
Apr 2019
Nov 2018
Feb 2018
Dec 2017
Oct 2017
Jul 2017
Jun 2017
May 2017
Apr 2017
Nov 2016
Oct 2016
Aug 2016
Jul 2016
Dec 2015
Mar 2014
Jan 2014
Oct 2013
Dec 2012
Mar 2012
Jul 2011
May 2011
Mar 2011
Jun 2009
Apr 2008
Oct 2006