Dr Alan Finkel AO is Australia’s next Chief Scientist; and one who has a vision of a world without coal and gas.
Dr Finkel will succeed Professor Ian Chubb AC, whose term concludes at the end of 2015.
“The Australian Government recognises the importance of science, innovation and technology to our future prosperity and economic security as a nation in a rapidly expanding and diversifying global economy,” said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in an announcement regarding the appointment.
Currently Chancellor of Monash University and President of the Australian Academy of Technology Sciences and Engineering, as Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr. Finkel will be a communicator; promoting better understanding and appreciation of science and evidence-based thinking.
Dr Finkel isn’t a fan of fossil fuels.
“My vision is for a country, society, a world where we don’t use any coal, oil, natural gas; because we have zero emissions electricity in huge abundance and we use that for transport, for heating and all the things we ordinarily use electricity for,” he said during a media event relating to his appointment..
While acknowledging that cannot be achieved overnight and not excluding the possibility of nuclear power in the future, Dr. Finkel appears to have great faith in renewables including solar power in tandem with energy storage achieving his vision.
“With enough storage, we could do it in this country with solar and wind.”
In a Cosmos* article by Dr. Finkel published in August, he stated developing large-scale energy storage systems is the key to converting electricity production to zero-emission sources and encouraged governments to get behind the storage revolution.
“The message for governments is clear. Governments already use subsidies to encourage renewable electricity generation. It is time now to shift their investments to improving storage,” he wrote.
The amount of storage needed is massive. Dr. Finkel says it would require 500 million megawatt hours – 10,000 times the projected annual production capacity of the Tesla Gigafactory – to store the world’s electricity requirements for 10 days.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Dr. Finkel lives in a house entirely powered by renewable energy and believes that everyone will one day drive an electric car like he does.
“In 1900, America’s roads resonated with the sound of whirring electrical cars, only occasionally jolted by the roar of a petrol engine …It may not be long until the symphony on our roads returns once more to a resonant whir.,” wrote Dr Finkel in 2014.
*Dr. Finkel is the Executive Publisher of Cosmos.
