In a time where sustainability and green energy are becoming increasingly vital, DTU Offshore has developed a card game called “Future Energy System Builder”. The game seeks to enrich learning by informing people about the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable sources of energy.
The game is an easy way to learn about how power systems are built and can be played in four different formats, encouraging different strategies such as minimizing costs or reducing CO2 emissions. It revolves around using 52 cards representing different components of energy systems. These cards are assigned to four categories: energy source, power production, energy storage, and power distribution—where the goal is to assemble a power system that provides reliable electricity while meeting specific sustainability criteria.
"It is designed to be more than just a card game,” David Quirk explains.
“It is an educational platform. Through play, people gain insight into the technologies and decisions involved in green energy. The game emphasizes the environmental impacts and economic considerations of different solutions and therefore players think about how we can achieve net zero emissions,” he says.
And even though energy systems are complex and complicated, the game seeks to simplify these concepts without losing their essence by breaking the components down into more manageable parts. The aim is to inform as well as to entertain people about the challenges and the benefits of the various options to phase out fossil fuels.
“One of the key messages is that we can decarbonize society, but it needs an integrated approach. For example, even though the costs of wind and solar energies are low compared to oil and gas, it is hard to make the electricity grid resilient without energy storage, and investment in infrastructure such as cables and electronics is also required. The game also shows which technologies are the most expensive as well as the variation in environmental footprints. This understanding fosters a greater appreciation of the efforts required to combat climate change,” David Quirk says.
By integrating educational content into an engaging card game, "Future Energy System Builder" serves as an effective example of game-based learning, providing knowledge in an engaging way while making people aware and supportive of the changes that are necessary for creating a sustainable society.
