Can a 19th-century writer help us think about today's greatest challenges? In this edition of the Vin & Viden series, literature and energy research meet in a shared look at humanity's relationship with nature.
Lecturer Torsten Bøgh Thomsen, head of the H.C. Andersen Centre, explores how the Golden Age view of nature still shapes our understanding of the natural world and our place within it. Drawing on well-known and lesser-known works by Andersen, he looks at nature's role in 19th-century literature, the shift from a romantic to a scientific understanding of nature, and the ethical questions that arise where people meet their surroundings.
Professor Mads Pagh Nielsen from Aalborg University then turns to the green transition, outlining the technologies, challenges and cross-disciplinary solutions needed to move our energy supply from fossil fuels to renewable sources. His talk covers how the energy system can adapt to a future where production depends on sun and wind, and introduces the university's new Energy-Hub for teaching and communicating about future energy systems.
