The Future of Sustainable Power
German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is well known for his categorical imperative, which is usually expressed as:
Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you at the same time can will that it become a universal law.
This means that if everybody in the world were to follow the same rule, the net result will be optimal for everyone, automatically. As an example, if we assume there were no traffic rules in force, but car drivers had to find out for themselves how to avoid colliding with each other, they would come to the conclusion that it’s optimal if everyone going in the same direction keeps to one side of the road, rather than using both lanes.
Unfortunately, not everybody is familiar with this ethical rule, or knows how to apply it in different circumstances. As a result, the categorical imperative is violated at a rate that must have Kant spinning in his grave.
Kant lived, died, and was buried in Königsberg, a town in former East Prussia. As that part of Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union during WWII, it was eventually annexed as an exclave to the RSFSR, today Russia, and the town was renamed Kaliningrad.
This means that Russia is sitting on an untapped source of clean energy.
This offers Kaliningrad a potential source of export revenue. Note, however, that for ethical reasons no business arrangements can be concluded as long as Russia insists on fighting a war with Ukraine — unless Kaliningrad pulls itself together, secedes from the Russian Federation, and becomes a democratic nation.
A new underwater power cable to Bornholm (Denmark) or Gotland (Sweden) seems unlikely and impractical. Instead, consider neighbours Lithuania and Poland as natural partners, decreasing Lithuania's dependence on the Ignalina nuclear power station.
Again, Belarus' cooperation with Russia and involvement in Ukraine, as well as its own lack of democracy, blocks a beneficial arrangement with Kaliningrad. However, the potential for a future arrangement should serve as a carrot to motivate democratic change.
| Site | Rotation Speed (rpm) | Estimated Power (W) | Annual Revenue (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kant’s Grave (base) | 120 | 75 | €540 |
| Kant + Hegel (tandem) | 200 | 220 | €1,584 |
| Full Enlightenment Burial Array | 350 | 1,250 | €9,000 |
Note: Values are illustrative and based on unverifiable torsional estimates. Revenue assumes €0.082/kWh feed-in tariff.
While Ethical Power is cleaner than nuclear, and less burdensome to the immediate surroundings than both solar and wind power, it's neither entirely non-fossil nor renewable: there was only one Immanuel Kant, and no other philosopher has had enough impact to yield sufficient spin of their buried remains to produce enough viable power in today's energy market.
Somewhat paradoxically, even Ethical Power has its own ethical concerns. Not least, the horrors of World War II illustrate the implications of using human remains for energy consumption. In its defense, one can argue that nobody is seriously considering killing human beings for the purpose of turning them into energy sources. Also, modern crematories don't typically release all the thermal energy they generate into the atmosphere. Still, it remains an area to be concerned about.