Bastian Gierull (Octopus Energy) and Greg Williams (WIRED) discuss the role of renewable energy in reducing environmental harm and regenerating nature.
“We come from a from a situation where energy was always produced by literally burning stuff, which generates tons of emissions”, Gierull observes. “With renewable energies, we’re focusing on generating electricity in accordance with nature.”
In 2023, renewable energy production reduced CO2 emissions by roughly 250 million tons, Gierull notes, equal to the CO2 output of some 55 million cars.
In Germany, Octopus Energy partners with Everwave to clean rivers and lakes of plastic waste. Customers can opt to donate €2 of their monthly bill to support this effort. “So far our customers have donated enough to clean 55,000 kilograms of plastic out of rivers and lakes”, Gierull says.
