Waypoint 6
I am documenting my own journey into & through the global Energy Transition movement. Along this renewable path, I am marking waypoints to capture and share my insights with those on similar paths.
Part of the challenge I’ve had in getting my head around the massive and increasingly overlapping worlds of Renewable Energy and Climate Change is feeling like I’m not missing anything. I have had many colleagues who are also exploring these areas confirm that they too experience some level of anxiety about becoming sufficiently knowledgeable.
Over the past 6 months, I’ve been collecting resources that attempt to capture, distill and present the full landscape in a consumable model. These have helped me on my own path, and I very much want to share the collection with others. I hope you find some/all of them valuable too.
Global Climate Tech Landscape
by HoloniQ
Interactive information website created by HolonIQ
The Global Climate Tech Landscape is billed as an “open source taxonomy” that will help those working on climate-related solutions.
You can interact with the table. For example, you might reorder the tiles using provided filters, but that will disrupt the visual appeal shown above in the table’s default state.
Clicking on a tile (element?) in the table links you down the long page to a full description along with lists of companies and organizations around the globe that are working in this area.
I am finding value in models like these that recognize the two major solution areas of adaptation and mitigation although there are tiles that illustrate there can be overlap for a given topic.
This beautiful chart feels a bit too conveniently neat for capturing a huge and messy problem space, but in my opinion accomplishes the job of fitting the full range of climate-related topics into a single page. A wonderfully rich resource for those learners seeking a full landscape view of climate tech.
Energy System Map
by Student Energy
Sprawling vertical-oriented site created by Student Energy
I am mostly impressed but also a little disappointed by the Energy System Map. Like the other entries I’ve listed here, this is bold undertaking to pull together myriad topics into a unified model. Here, the Student Energy community has created and continues to enhance an interactive web site that draws visible connections between dozens of nodes in a single graph.
The organization of topics is helpful for sure, not just for the ed-tech audience but for anyone hoping to navigate the complexities of energy (and climate). The interaction is a bit trickier in my experience as it is impossible to truly see an end-to-end or rather, top-to-bottom view of any string of connected nodes.
This model introduces an organizational structure for the nodes that reads (top down) Influences, Source, Production, Conversion, Form, Transport, Distribution, Use, and Influences (not necessarily repeating the initial group). These would seem to follow a recognizable chain that helps connect broad topics like Climate Change to various Energy production cycles to application in Heating and Cooling for example.
I continue to share this site with friends and colleagues because of the rich content behind each node in the graph. Short explainer videos are available for most topics making it a wonderful rabbit hole experience. Check it out!
GHG Reduction Table of Solutions
by Project Drawdown
A preview of the full list of solution areas from Project Drawdown
Project Drawdown has created an impressive Table of Solutions that lists almost 100 topics grouped by sector or “area of action” that are connected to the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
The table/site is interactive in that you can filter the solution areas, e.g., “Transportation” or “Health and Education”, and that can be helpful for anyone overwhelmed by the complete list. But as I have mentioned multiple times here, there is some comfort that can be derived from seeing the whole canvas in one place.
Clicking on any one square brings up a dedicated page for that solution that provides an overview, metrics, methodology, impact and more. Great for getting some early grounding on a topic that interests you.
I recommend referencing this site for a quick crash course if you’re in a hurry. Maybe you want to lead a workshop conversation or ramp up on particular area for a job interview. The Project Drawdown team deserves a big kudos for not just sharing this information but making it easy to discover and consume.
Bonus: Climate Tech Talent & Capital Mindmap
Organizing topics from moving bits to moving atoms in this chart by a MCJ working group
A somewhat informal group in the MCJ Collective community put together their own (work in progress) mental model they call a Climate Tech Mind Map. They are targeting their framework for anyone transitioning to climate tech roles from more traditional technology jobs/sectors.
The single page view offers a 50K foot view of where the current centers of gravity are around capital (i.e., money/investment) & talent. As with the other resources here, there are more details behind each box, and they provide the links to those in their introduction page.
It might be lacking some of the polish of the other entries, but I wanted to include it in this list to provide an alternative take on outlining the energy/climate landscape.
More Waypoints on the Renewable Path
I’ve been collecting online resources that attempt to capture, distill and present the full Energy and/or Climate landscape in a consumable model. These have helped me on my own path, and I hope you find some/all of them valuable too.