81 days until PICNIC 08

But the media attention and the international network that were placed at his disposal proved even more important. “Without a doubt, winning the Green Challenge totally changed my life,” he says. “Yes, the idea of generating energy locally using the Qbox was there, but its execution really took off after that.”

The idea is brilliantly simple. Energy is generated locally – say, in a residential neighbourhood or on an industrial site – by sustainable means such as solar panels or a windmill. The energy coming into each house or business is measured by something called a QBox. This intelligent unit knows exactly when energy is needed and how much. The Qbox can be set to turn appliances on and off at optimal times. It also handles the administration of incoming and outgoing energy. All information is stored on a central server. In this way, every user gets an overview of his or her own energy use.

The system is full of advantages. Since energy transport is no longer necessary, electricity costs considerably less. The user is no longer dependent on power stations. The optimal use of locally generated energy means a vast increase in efficiency, and people’s knowledge of their own energy use can improve it even more.

Igor Kluin’s company, Qurrent, is no longer a one-man business. “There are seven of us working on the product now,” he reports. “Various pilot projects will start this year all across the Netherlands, at businesses as wel...