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The Future of Us 2022 – information for foreign guests

Thursday, October 6, 2022 is the day: For the fourth time the innovative and informative festival The Future of Us will take place at Industriepark Kleefse Waard (IPKW) in Arnhem.  Want to be informed, inspired by all the innovations and take a next step in the energy transition, circular economy? Sign up now! This year we will meet physically again at Industrial Park Kleefse Waard (IPKW) from 13.30 to 19.00 hours.

THIS YEAR’S THEME: THE ENERGY TRANSITION AND THE FINITY OF RAW MATERIALS

This year we will zoom in on how we can cope with the finiteness of (fossil) raw materials within the energy transition based on circular principles. A low-carbon society needs a significant amount of raw materials that are scarcely available in the European Union. Producing energy with green technologies, such as sun and wind, requires a lot of scarce raw materials, about five to ten times as much per produced megawatt (MW) as with fossil generation. How are we going to deal with this dilemma within the energy transition?

We have put together an English-language program especially for our partner Go4Export. That program runs across the 3 locations: stages ‘Podium Blue’, ‘Podium Pink’ and ‘Inspiratieplein’ (Inspiration Square). The doors of The Future of Us opens at 13:30 . We have an interesting programme lined up:

Welcome at 13.30 – QR code tour on IPKW
At Industrial Park Kleefse Waard (IPKW) our English-speaking guide is ready to welcome you. You will explore the business park in a group of about 25 participants. The participant-batch contains a QR code, which after scanning provides a map of the business park. Along the route the guide will tell more about the companies and by scanning the QR code more information will pop-up as well. Pre-registration for this IPKW tour is required.

14.45-15.15 Keynote speaker Guillaume Pitron ‘The solution for the rare metals war’
Guillaume Pitron will be present as a keynote speaker during The Future of Us. Pitron is a journalist and documentary maker and author of the book “The Rare Metals War: the dark side of clean energy and digital technologies”. He will tell us what solution he envisions for the energy transition.

16.00-16.20 Table discussion ‘Energy storage; are there sustainable alternatives?’
With the increase in the decentralized feed-in of solar and wind energy, grid capacity is becoming increasingly urgent and thus a determining factor for the extent to which these sustainable sources can be used. Energy storage technologies, such as batteries, are needed to temporarily store power and effectively match supply and demand. For batteries, use is often made of raw materials such as cobalt, lanthanum and nickel, of which lithium-ion is the best-known variant. Lithium-ion has the advantages that it has a high energy density, which means that you can store a lot of current in a relatively small volume, that it is relatively cheap and that it lasts a long time. On the other hand, mining lithium has a major environmental impact, leading to resource scarcity and geopolitical dependence. Are there more sustainable alternatives? A table conversation with Elestor (Guido Dalassi) and Radboud (Redox flow battery – Evan Wenbo Zhao) and a German guest spreaker.

16.30-16.50 Table discussion ‘Is hydrogen the solution for grid expansion?’
The capacity of our energy grid is starting to become a problem. Also in Germany they are preparing for this issue.
In addition, it is expected that the amount of copper, aluminum, graphite and lithium will be doubled for electricity distribution and storage. To avoid this, it is important to look for alternatives. Can hydrogen play a role by absorbing production peaks and thus contribute to an alternative for grid expansion? A table discussion with, among others, Roel van de Pas (Nedstack), Fleur Elfrink (Liander) and a German guest speaker.

17.00-17.45 Meet & Match
Different German and Dutch entrepreneurs will give a shortpitch. Goal: To find out where there are opportunities for collaborations. Are you an entrepreneur and do you need to expand your market, come to this session!

Inspiration Square
During the event visitors have the opportunity to network while enjoying a snack & drink and to meet all kinds of innovations, stories, institutions and companies. Learn more about what East Netherlands has to offer!

From 18.00 – 19.00 hours there will be a festive closing at Podium Blue with live music and drinks. At 19.30 hours the doors of IPKW close.

Sign up

Sign up to attend this innovative event! Use this form to register for the festival The Future of Us.