Energy at the End of the World: An Orkney Islands Saga
The islands of Orkney, off the northern coast of Scotland, are closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. Surrounded by fierce seas and shrouded by clouds and mist, the islands seem to mark the edge of the known world. And yet they are a center for energy technology innovation, from marine energy to hydrogen fuel networks, attracting the interest of venture capitalists and local communities. In this book, Laura Watts tells a story of making energy futures at the edge of the world.
The event will be chaired by astronomer-turned-writer Dr Pippa Goldschmidt. She is currently the writer-in-residence at Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (STIS), University of Edinburgh.
About the author: Dr Laura Watts is a poet, writer, ethnographer of futures, and Interdisciplinary Senior Lecturer in Energy and Society in the School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh. As a Science and Technology Studies scholar she explores the effect of “edge” landscapes on how the future is imagined and made. She is coauthor of Ebban an' Flowan, the world's first poetic primer for marine renewable energy, and in 2017 she won the International Cultural Innovation Prize with the Reconstrained Design Group and Community Energy Scotland for a community-built energy storage device designed from scrap parts.