After leaving his post as prime minister of Sweden, Göran Persson has become an authority on environment and climate issues. Ahead of the Climate Conference in Copehnagen, he is crystal clear on renewable energy:
“Producing power that does not leave a carbon footprint will become very lucrative,” says Persson. “Energy suppliers that do not produce power in an environmentally friendly fashion will be hit with taxes.”
You believe competition is a good measure to handle the climate challenge?
“Yes, I do,” says Persson. “But the process will also be strengthened by political measures. You will get stimulus through the EU renewables directive, which demands an increased share of renewable power production, and also through international taxes, I would assume.”

Persson has faith in the sun

When it comes to alternative energy sources, Persson is primarily betting on solar, biogas and hydro.
“The major breakthrough will be in the solar sector,” he predicts. “After all, one hour of sunshine on the planet equals the entire planet’s annual energy consumption. We will have giant solar power plants which will only be the first generation in an extremely rapid technical development. I also believe industry-scale biogas will be a key
factor, as it is also suited to handle the world’s waste disposal problems. Food waste can become liquid biogas, and
this is a resource which is available in poor areas of the world.”

“Wind power is more of a supplement, while hydropower will only increase in value. The latter is, after all, a prerequisite for the success of the other energy sources. The sun does not always shine, the wind does not always blow and we must have an alternative.”

Something will happen

Despite his optimism, Persson’s greatest hopes do not lie with the Copenhagen summit.
“Something will come from the Copenhagen conference, but the problems will not be solved there,” he says. “We must not have too high hopes, that could result in a backlash. Realistically, we can expect an agreement on limiting emissions and transferring resources.”
But do you believe that the politicians can lead the process, more or less push the general public towards more environmentally friendly positions?
“They will be forced to: the process will drive itself,” says Persson. “However, at that time we may have progressed far enough for people to understand that it is necessary. That understanding is currently not in plentiful supply, unfortunately. The problem is that time is short.”

By Birger Baug