Statement
It is not just consumption levels that are of fundamental importance for an eco-friendly approach to energy, but also the degree of efficiency achieved.
If we drastically cut back on our daily lives, then we could save a lot of energy and thus reduce CO2 emissions. But this would not be worth striving for. But such a life would no longer be worth living. The only alternative is to look to energy efficiency, with its huge and yet untapped possibilities.
An environmentally aware and economically meaningful way forward would be to use ecological electricity for stationary consumers who have no alternative sources of supply. In the mobile sector, one could use direct methanol fuel cells to produce efficient energy and preserve the environment. It is important to remember here: ecologically generated energy makes up only a limited proportion of the total energy sector. The bulk of energy production generates CO2. If we hand over our ecological energy to electric vehicles, then more CO2-producing energy will be needed elsewhere. The energy efficiency of the fuel cell is, however, higher than that of the battery in terms of production, transport, and storage.
To recap, it is fair to say that in the short and medium term, there are no alternatives to direct methanol fuel cells when it comes to reducing the level of CO2 emissions quickly and drastically.
