Implementing the energy transition is one of the challenges of the coming years and decades to fight, or at least limit, global warming. In Paris, an interactive exhibition, original to say the least, invites visitors to try their hand at energy policy in order to grasp the issues at stake.
” In this room, it’s a bit of a briefing since on such a complex subject, you have to start with a few tools », introduces Nicolas Mangeot, curator of the exhibition « Énergie, so Watt », which takes place at the Cité de l’Économie (or Citéco), a museum dedicated to the economy located in Paris. It presents tools to be able to put oneself in the shoes of a political decision-maker: You also have in these benchmarks some figures on the energy mix which corresponds to all of France’s energy consumption. And then next to it, you have the detail of the electrical mix. You have to make a distinction between the two. »
Educational popularization
Other information is provided to the visitor on certain sectoral objectives, on the automobile, or general, such as carbon neutrality by 2050. Some scientific insights are also provided. ” On one side, a panel that clearly distinguishes between power and energy. They are two different concepts. There, these are the different modes of energy production, from the onshore wind turbine to the reactor of a nuclear power plant. And we also see the different orders of magnitude. There, it is expressed in megawatts, or even in gigawatts », continues the commissioner.
All complemented by a popular video by Jamie Gourmaud, the star host of the cult show This is not rocket science, which presents the stakes of the exhibition: You will have to take up this challenge in the sequel to the “Energy, so Watt” exhibition, thanks to this game card. So what will you choose? We then enter a small maze of terminals and screens. “ In this room, you have 10 modules which correspond to 10 energy transition themes, explains Nicolas Mangeot. For example, renewable energies, of course, nuclear energy, housing, mobility, storage, networks, etc. »
For each theme, the same configuration: an introductory and informative text, a more oriented message and the game terminal: “ You insert your card into the machine, so you have the question posed to you: “In terms of housing, which measure do you consider to be a priority?” You have three possible choices. You will be challenged by your voters who will give their opinion on the choice you are about to make. »
Show the complexity of the energy issue
Once the card has been validated at different stations, a governance profile is drawn up for each player. And the experience does not end there. Célia Chettab, project manager at Citéco, then invites us to redefine the electricity mix of France via a video game: “ On the screen you have on the left different gauges. First of all, the overall energy consumption which today is made up of 56% carbon. Below, we have the production of electricity, so the goal of the game will be both to develop this production of electricity and therefore really reduce this share of fossil fuels. »
The feasibility of the scenario is then assessed, but there is no need to wait for a ready-made solution. “So Watt” is not an exhibition designed to provide answers, but to show the complexity of the energy issue.
► ” Energy, so Watt? »until May 28, 2023 at the Cité de l’Économie (or Citéco) in Paris.