Episode 3 Follow the Money

This programme contains some strong language.

PHONE RINGS

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon,

and welcome to 2016 World Future Energy Summit,

here in Abu Dhabi.

To begin proceedings, I would like to introduce to you

one of our country's most dedicated supporters of clean energy,

one of the sponsors of this conference,

and a visionary business leader admired far beyond the Arab world.

Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together

for Mr Saif al-Wasem.

APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have come today with one simple message.

Sustainable energy for all

is both necessary and achievable.

But we still need new inventions,

new visions.

One in every five people on this planet

has no access to modern electricity.

At the same time,

our planet is heating up.

Climate change threatens lives,

peace and prosperity.

We need to turn power on for every household,

while turning down the global thermostat.

We must act now

to build a clean energy economy.

We must invest.

It's time to end energy poverty.

Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Mr Sodergren.

Welcome.

Thank you.

I'm Aslam. I'm the official guide of Masdar City. This way, please.

-So, this is the first CO2-free city in the world, is it?

-Yeah, true.

The initiative of creation of this city has been taken

by the leadership of Abu Dhabi, 2006.

-Masdar in Arabic means source.

-The source of what?

The source of many things.

Source of knowledge,

innovation, development.

-New inventions?

-Of course.

All of us, we work together to shape a city of tomorrow.

Everything in Masdar City

is built with one single purpose...

Smart, clean energy.

Oh, the PRT cars. I've heard about those.

Yeah, it's 100% electric.

No need for driver's licence. THEY LAUGH

Welcome to future.

Here we are.

Source of energy.

Largest solar plant in Middle East.

I know what you're thinking about.

-You do?

-Yeah.

Abu Dhabi is home to 8% of global oil reserves.

At the current production level,

we have enough to last 100 years.

And you think, with all this,

why the leader of these emirates

committed billions of dollars

in renewable energy and clean technologies?

That's what you're thinking about, yeah?

Well, sort of.

HE LAUGHS

You see?

We are desert people.

Feel this.

-Hot, yeah?

-Yes.

Imagine living this.

But you've made a whole life here.

Living in this hot sand,

where there is no water, no wind.

All you get, heat,

since early morning.

For us, living on scarce resources,

sustainable practices is not only slogan.

That's how we learn how to live.

That's why we believe in this.

Really believe in this.

-So, what's next?

-Next?

What are you trying to find?

As you say, Holy Grail.

-Which is?

-Storage.

Cheap, reliable energy storage.

Imagine how you keep the heat

-when you don't need it without losing power.

-Right.

And you're letting it go

when you need it.

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

PHONE RINGS

-There you go, sir.

-Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Er...

SHE LAUGHS

VIDEO GAME NOISES

Ta-da-da, ta-da-da...

Ta-da!

HE GASPS

LAUGHTER

FROM COMPUTER:

Er...

-Welcome to the grand suite.

-Thank you.

You're welcome. If you need anything at all,

-please don't hesitate to call.

-OK.

KNOCKING

Mm.

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

BABY CRIES

PHONE RINGS

BABY CONTINUES CRYING

PHONE CONTINUES RINGING

BABY CRIES

HE LAUGHS

CHEERING AND MUSIC

PHONE RINGS

BUMPING AND BANGING SOUNDS

MOANING

STRAINING SOUND

SHOUTING ANGRILY:

SHE SOBS

SHE CRIES

This way.

This is Alexander Sodergren, of Energreen.

-Thank you for coming on such short notice.

-It's my pleasure.

This is Claudia Moreno, head of our legal department.

-Nice to meet you.

-Miss Moreno. You, too.

So, let's get you settled in.

-If you follow me.

-Good.

How was your flight?

DOG BARKS

Working with superconductors is not new.

In fact, it's been going on for over a century.

How do we transport energy

without losing some of it along the way?

Well, that's a question that's been on the minds of scientists

and engineers for as long as we've had electricity.

So far, we've had to create

extremely low temperatures

in order not to lose power,

and creating those low temperatures,

in turn, demands more power.

So, it has been a Catch-22.

Now, we are on the verge of a breakthrough.

What you are about to see

is quantum levitation.

The material this disc is made of

is superconducting,

which means that, at a low temperature -

but a much higher temperature than we've been used to -

it will hover between the magnetic fields.

It will be quantum trapped.

But it can still move freely.

It will never stop.

No friction, no loss of energy.

This material can conduct electricity.

With this we can transport energy freely,

we can store it

and use it when we want it,

without loss.

It is the future.

Good?

Yeah, very good.

THEY CHAT INDISTINCTLY

SHE LAUGHS

SHE LAUGHS

KNOCKING

BIRD CROWS

RUSTLING