Justin Kolbe, Director of Marketing Strategy for Henkel’s Power Conversion and Industrial Automation Division, talks to PES about the current status of renewable energy. What are the key drivers in power conversion and energy storage that make alternative energy both economically viable and practical for widespread implementation, especially in the solar and electric vehicle sectors?
PES: Welcome back to PES Justin. It’s great to catch up with Henkel and get your view on things. Perhaps a good place to begin would be to ask, what is the current situation when it comes to renewable energy?
Justin Kolbe: Extracting power from alternative energy sources not only addresses the objective of sustainability, but also significantly increases the amount and extends the availability of power to serve global needs, even in areas where there is limited infrastructure. Driving up the efficiency of power networks is key to harnessing as much energy from the source as possible.
Alternative energy sourced from solar and wind farms, as well as hydroelectric and geothermal power plants, is revolutionising the global energy landscape with cleaner and more sustainable solutions. At the heart of these environmentally friendly solutions are advanced electronics that capture and convert energy into usable electricity, state-of-the-art batteries that store this energy for future use when needed, and innovative materials that enhance safety, reliability and efficiency.
Currently, a significant challenge to the successful implementation of alternative energy systems is the development of adequate battery storage capacity, particularly within the solar energy and electric vehicle (EV) sectors.
