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"What is excellence, Jean-Louis Scartezzini?"
“It’s when we follow our curiosity to discover new horizons, just like prehistoric hunters.”
Jean-Louis Scartezzini,
Professor and Director of the Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
Jean-Louis Scartezzini (52) is an expert in solar energy and building physics. The physicist is eager to find ways in which to optimise the energy generated from renewable energies. He finds a way too, time and time again. For him, this represents a technological wager.
Mr Scartezzini, your laboratory has been working on renewable energies for more than 30 years and has released over 500 scientific publications. What is your day-to-day work like?
Curiosity, the desire to get to the bottom of things is what drives us on. The real point of physics is namely to describe the laws of nature, first using a model to explain the laws before then recreating them. Ever since the time of Galileo, a scientific theory has always had to be substantiated in real life. If our theory proves to be correct, then we are satisfied. Curiosity forms the basis of our work, and it’s something which we try to pass on to our students too in lectures – once we have explained the physical phenomena. You have to dig and search. The older I get, the more I feel that we are not so different to the prehistoric hunters who always tried to extend their horizons.
We are happy if we are able to share results, curiosity and knowledge with others. Discovering something on your own is only half as exciting. Carrying out research together with other people, and for other people, is interesting and is something that we have been doing for a long time in the field of renewable energies. Consider solar energy, for instance, it took a lot of persuasive power to get people to support it. Now, I gradually feel that the message has got through.
Several teams from the EPFL are involved in Bertrand Piccard’s Solar Impulse project, for example. Our team has been involved from the outset. Our first job was to evaluate whether this project – which is very ambitious and where there is a great deal at stake from a scientific and technical perspective – is at all feasible. Thereafter, the EPFL was the scientific and technical advisor on the development of several aspects of the project. These included selecting the structure of the solar cells and of the aircraft. We also helped with the drive and the search for an extremely efficient electric engine, a cabin which allows for a symbiosis of pilot and aircraft. The most exciting period was when there was nothing, no financial backer, no sponsor, no budget, just an idea.
It’s a scientific wager, a technological wager. Nothing like this has ever been achieved before. Our laboratory has always loved bets. Let me give you one example: in 1982, we bet that we would develop an almost autonomous building which would consume five times less energy than comparable buildings of that period. There were many sceptics but we won the bet. Since then, a number of different concepts have been developed, including Minergie, energy-neutral and energy-positive buildings. Thirty years on from the bet, the further developments that have been made are fantastic.
I am old enough to have followed some of this change. When we were young researchers, Switzerland was a pioneer. There was a belief in passive and active solar energy, and in photovoltaics. Switzerland was the only European country to invest in building-integrated photovoltaics, with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. It was a success.
However, as is often the case, the economy didn’t follow through. Seeing that it was the leader in this field, Switzerland relaxed a little in the mid- and late 1990s. Production on cells and captors didn’t begin as quickly as in other countries.
Countries like Germany and Japan won this bet. China has been present on the market for roughly five years. In quantitative terms, it’s the global leader in the manufacture of thermal solar energy systems and will soon hold this position for photovoltaics too. Switzerland was too cautious, too late. Being a pioneer is always hard. Either they rest on their laurels or they are overtaken. But Switzerland is realising that it needs to get its act together and it still has an ace or two up its sleeve.
Switzerland is the leader in building technology. Since 1974, it has kept the consumption of fossil fuels in buildings at the same level, despite the fact that the population has grown and the economy has developed. This is thanks to the efforts of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects. Consumption has remained unchanged for 35 years. So Switzerland has no reason to feel ashamed.
Switzerland has already proved that it is possible to design buildings which produce more, or just as much, solar energy as they consume. We have the technology available to achieve this. In Switzerland, I’m thinking here of the Jenni solar house with active solar collectors. By combining heat pumps with photovoltaics, it is now possible to construct zero-energy buildings. The question is simply one of cost. Nowadays, Minergie buildings are no more expensive than standard buildings. A building which consumes zero energy, or even produces energy, still costs rather more. These additional costs must be reduced to a reasonable level and one day be eliminated.
Of course. Renewable energies obey the same market laws as other goods. It’s a question of supply and demand and the laws of mass production. China, which already manufactures a considerable proportion of the products, will also achieve a high market share in the area of renewable energies. Mass production will lead to falling costs, as we are seeing in the field of photovoltaics. When carrying out research in terms of space on the first units, a watt cost several hundred dollars whereas today we are approaching the one dollar per watt mark. And mass production has not yet begun.
For starters, a numbers game. It is already calculated that 120,000 square kilometres would suffice in order to provide the world with solar energy. However, the problem remains generation, the technologies required for generation and their productivity. Even so, the figures show that the potential is enormous. The energy consumption of human activity is a tiny fraction of the solar energy hitting the earth, namely 0.2 thousandths. The problem is how this energy can be captured.
First of all, we need to be more efficient in terms of usage, and a great deal can be done here. There is no point in generating all of this renewable energy if we do not use it in a more efficient manner. It’s like taking a car from the 1960s and placing photovoltaic collectors on it. That cannot work, new technologies are needed.
Fortunately, we are no longer in the 1960s. But we have not made as much progress as we would have liked. We know that the so-called 2,000 Watt Society can be achieved if the technologies now coming from the laboratory can be put into operation. These technologies can be used to lower consumption by a factor of four. Some products are ready – in Switzerland, these are heat pumps, the passive use of solar energy and the active use of thermal solar energy; other products are ready in Europe, such as wind energy facilities in Germany, and will soon be so in France and England. A few technologies, like photovoltaics for instance, are only just coming on to the market.
It’s a general observation. Comparing this figure is what is important. We have 720 km2 of roads, 395 km2 of buildings and 90 km2 of railways. So 160 km2 are not a lot. The figure certainly contradicts those who claim that an area many times the size of Switzerland would be needed to generate this solar energy. Insulated buildings can cut the energy requirement and by cutting the requirement, almost three-quarters of what we require could be covered by solar energy as early as 2030. Our very first task must be to improve efficiency, in vehicles, buildings, lighting, information technology and much more. Everywhere, there is an enormous potential which has remained virtually untapped. Solar energy in all of its forms, including photovoltaics, could cover a significant share of our requirement – perhaps even as much as 100 per cent in a century’s time.
It has to be possible. In 50–100 years, fossil fuels will run out or become very expensive and hard to extract. In the foreseeable future, society will therefore have no option but to use only renewable energies. It’s absolutely essential and the question is, how soon will we start to do this?
There are a number of different studies and targets which vary from country to country. In Europe, the figure is 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020. The USA will probably specify a similar target. The targets for other countries, which to date have barely relied on renewable energies, will have to be very ambitious. In Switzerland, we are well placed thanks to hydroelectric power. Other countries such as Germany, which has been on the right track since the 1990s thanks primarily to wind energy and biomass, already produce between 5 and 7 per cent of electrical energy from wind energy. Biomass will also play a key role in the production of heat and electricity. We are, of course, speaking about Western countries, but the target here is for 20 per cent of energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.
The technologies used to generate solar energy do indeed vary depending on the climate. It would be a mistake to try and solve every country’s problems with a single technology. Where the climate is like that of California or North Africa, the technology of a concentrating solar power system is very appropriate – the concentrated solar energy is used to generate heat, steam or electricity. This technology is not suitable for Switzerland though, where sunlight in winter is somewhat diffuse. Here, passive solar energy generation is better suited. However, we must be aware that we need to develop storage technologies.
That will also have to be taken into consideration. But one benefit of renewable energies is that they can be generated and used locally. For instance, 50 m2 of solar collectors on a roof enable enough electricity to be generated for a particular building or fed into the power network. The amount of energy generated can be adapted in line with demand. Synergies between groups of buildings also need to be used. There are buildings which have too much heat and can give part of this to other buildings. There are buildings which need cooling and this cold can be produced using the heat. This is known as industrial ecology between groups of buildings. On a broader basis, the electricity network will play a major role, as a smart grid. The network will help transport energy from one location to another and to save it in reservoirs. One day, we will see a network that will possibly operate like the Internet does today.
It’s hard to say. In Switzerland, we hold a major trump card. The many dams here mean that we have good opportunities to store electrical energy. In some countries, the concept of the smart grid is just being introduced now. I’m thinking of California, for instance. Here in Switzerland, the concept is being examined in many laboratories. Implementation will follow very soon, things will suddenly happen very quickly.
We are in constant contact with experts. The question is how politics, business and society will react. It is not yet too late but we no longer have a large timeframe in which to take action. Ten years, five years? I don’t know. The time we have in which to change course is no more than ten years. If we have failed to achieve a reduction of at least 30 per cent by then, we should expect the worst: a rise in the temperature by two degrees, a billion displaced people, war, economic crises. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, these things will affect quite a few European countries as well.
The political course must now be set. The scientists have done their work. Every one of us needs to recognise our individual responsibility, in the way we behave and in the products we choose. I am convinced that we will find other forms of tourism, enjoy driving other types of vehicle and living in other types of building.
Are there boundaries to science? I don’t think so. We have often made the mistake of thinking that science has gone as far as it can. But knowledge does not have boundaries, and thank goodness, we always have reasons to search and are always hopeful of discovering. What science cannot do is to have an answer for everything today. It can’t work wonders. Patience and persistence are what is needed. In the energy field, a photovoltaic cell which is 60 per cent efficient would be great but we haven’t yet achieved this. It would be great to not have to rely on fossil fuels but we’re not there yet. Society, the business world and politics all have to support science, especially in those areas where support is urgently needed. For instance, how we intend to tackle the problems of global nutrition, worldwide water supplies, energy supply and climate change. These are the four main problems which we have to solve.
One philosophy that influences me and that I feel a special affinity with, is Taoism. The philosophy of Lao-tzu is based on nature and its description. According to Lao-tzu, we only understand that we are really powerful once we have succeeded in overcoming our own fears and doubts. For this means that we are capable of combating our faults and of finding the energy that we need to move forward. This inner light, this feu sacré, to excel oneself, is what characterises athletes, musicians and sometimes politicians too. Even under unfavourable circumstances, if you can manage to let your little inner light shine in the nicest way, then you really have achieved your goal.
I see tradition as communication of knowledge and findings between generations. It’s about making huge strides, in technology too. Each generation makes the mistake of believing that it will be the last and that it will either save or destroy everything. In this respect, no one generation is better than another. What is important, in terms of tradition, is the communication of knowledge, findings, gestures, philosophies and wisdom from one generation to the next. The same mistakes are often repeated many times over due to poor communication. Memories fade, people forget. Science, and in particular neuroscience, will one day allow us to pass the memory of one generation on to the next in a much better way.
Taking care. ICARE, incidentally, is also the name I gave our institute, the Institute of Infrastructures, Resources and Environment. These are the three areas where we must take care. In the coming years, infrastructure will be essential in transporting energy. We must take care of resources, such as energy resources, water and food resources. As far as the environment is concerned, climate change poses the biggest problem. Taking care of our planet is something that we will have to internalise and embrace in our everyday lives if we are to leave behind a planet that future generations can inhabit. When our children ask what we have made of the world we lived in, I would like to be able to look them in the eye and say that I, and others with me, did everything possible to at least pass the world on to you as we inherited it from our parents.
The burning enthusiasm, the fire in us that lets us live and drives our emotions, and which is vital to everything we do. Science needs this spark. So many things require our effort, our energy, our commitment night and day. Without feu sacré we would not have the strength to achieve something extraordinary. Something wonderful can only be achieved if it is done with passion. In science in particular, we have a huge chance to push things to the limit, to go to the limits of knowledge, the limits of the physical world. Discovering things is fantastic. Passion should definitely be in every job, every piece of work.
Excellence is something very personal. It’s the desire to achieve ambitious goals. Excellence is very temporary, though. It doesn’t wait for us, we have to try hard to achieve it. Excellence is once again this inner light, the feu sacré, that everyone should let shine as brightly as possible for themselves. By moving towards conquering one’s laziness, one’s demons and overcoming one’s faults, we let our inner light shine. In research, we have the opportunity to repeatedly strive for excellence, to strive for a goal, like a light that shines ahead of us but which does not wait for us. That is what is fascinating yet at the same time difficult, because you always have to question yourself and think everything over. All throughout your life.
Mr Scartezzini, your laboratory has been working on renewable energies for more than 30 years and has released over 500 scientific publications. What is your day-to-day work like?
Curiosity, the desire to get to the bottom of things is what drives us on. The real point of physics is namely to describe the laws of nature, first using a model to explain the laws before then recreating them. Ever since the time of Galileo, a scientific theory has always had to be substantiated in real life. If our theory proves to be correct, then we are satisfied. Curiosity forms the basis of our work, and it’s something which we try to pass on to our students too in lectures – once we have explained the physical phenomena. You have to dig and search. The older I get, the more I feel that we are not so different to the prehistoric hunters who always tried to extend their horizons.
What is the most important aspect of your work?
We are happy if we are able to share results, curiosity and knowledge with others. Discovering something on your own is only half as exciting. Carrying out research together with other people, and for other people, is interesting and is something that we have been doing for a long time in the field of renewable energies. Consider solar energy, for instance, it took a lot of persuasive power to get people to support it. Now, I gradually feel that the message has got through.
You are an advisor on interesting projects. What is the role of the EPFL in these projects?
Several teams from the EPFL are involved in Bertrand Piccard’s Solar Impulse project, for example. Our team has been involved from the outset. Our first job was to evaluate whether this project – which is very ambitious and where there is a great deal at stake from a scientific and technical perspective – is at all feasible. Thereafter, the EPFL was the scientific and technical advisor on the development of several aspects of the project. These included selecting the structure of the solar cells and of the aircraft. We also helped with the drive and the search for an extremely efficient electric engine, a cabin which allows for a symbiosis of pilot and aircraft. The most exciting period was when there was nothing, no financial backer, no sponsor, no budget, just an idea.
What aspect is the most interesting for your solar energy laboratory?
It’s a scientific wager, a technological wager. Nothing like this has ever been achieved before. Our laboratory has always loved bets. Let me give you one example: in 1982, we bet that we would develop an almost autonomous building which would consume five times less energy than comparable buildings of that period. There were many sceptics but we won the bet. Since then, a number of different concepts have been developed, including Minergie, energy-neutral and energy-positive buildings. Thirty years on from the bet, the further developments that have been made are fantastic.
Unlike other countries, the Swiss economy’s reaction to solar energy was initially one of caution. What is it like today?
I am old enough to have followed some of this change. When we were young researchers, Switzerland was a pioneer. There was a belief in passive and active solar energy, and in photovoltaics. Switzerland was the only European country to invest in building-integrated photovoltaics, with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. It was a success.
However, as is often the case, the economy didn’t follow through. Seeing that it was the leader in this field, Switzerland relaxed a little in the mid- and late 1990s. Production on cells and captors didn’t begin as quickly as in other countries.
Those countries being?
Countries like Germany and Japan won this bet. China has been present on the market for roughly five years. In quantitative terms, it’s the global leader in the manufacture of thermal solar energy systems and will soon hold this position for photovoltaics too. Switzerland was too cautious, too late. Being a pioneer is always hard. Either they rest on their laurels or they are overtaken. But Switzerland is realising that it needs to get its act together and it still has an ace or two up its sleeve.
What do you mean?
Switzerland is the leader in building technology. Since 1974, it has kept the consumption of fossil fuels in buildings at the same level, despite the fact that the population has grown and the economy has developed. This is thanks to the efforts of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects. Consumption has remained unchanged for 35 years. So Switzerland has no reason to feel ashamed.
What do you say to those people who propagate renewable energies instead of oil?
Switzerland has already proved that it is possible to design buildings which produce more, or just as much, solar energy as they consume. We have the technology available to achieve this. In Switzerland, I’m thinking here of the Jenni solar house with active solar collectors. By combining heat pumps with photovoltaics, it is now possible to construct zero-energy buildings. The question is simply one of cost. Nowadays, Minergie buildings are no more expensive than standard buildings. A building which consumes zero energy, or even produces energy, still costs rather more. These additional costs must be reduced to a reasonable level and one day be eliminated.
Can the development in renewable energies be compared to that in consumer electronics?
Of course. Renewable energies obey the same market laws as other goods. It’s a question of supply and demand and the laws of mass production. China, which already manufactures a considerable proportion of the products, will also achieve a high market share in the area of renewable energies. Mass production will lead to falling costs, as we are seeing in the field of photovoltaics. When carrying out research in terms of space on the first units, a watt cost several hundred dollars whereas today we are approaching the one dollar per watt mark. And mass production has not yet begun.
The solar energy that hits the earth is 5,000 times greater than global energy consumption. What does this mean in practice?
For starters, a numbers game. It is already calculated that 120,000 square kilometres would suffice in order to provide the world with solar energy. However, the problem remains generation, the technologies required for generation and their productivity. Even so, the figures show that the potential is enormous. The energy consumption of human activity is a tiny fraction of the solar energy hitting the earth, namely 0.2 thousandths. The problem is how this energy can be captured.
What research is being carried out at present?
First of all, we need to be more efficient in terms of usage, and a great deal can be done here. There is no point in generating all of this renewable energy if we do not use it in a more efficient manner. It’s like taking a car from the 1960s and placing photovoltaic collectors on it. That cannot work, new technologies are needed.
What is the situation nowadays regarding technologies for the use of renewable energies?
Fortunately, we are no longer in the 1960s. But we have not made as much progress as we would have liked. We know that the so-called 2,000 Watt Society can be achieved if the technologies now coming from the laboratory can be put into operation. These technologies can be used to lower consumption by a factor of four. Some products are ready – in Switzerland, these are heat pumps, the passive use of solar energy and the active use of thermal solar energy; other products are ready in Europe, such as wind energy facilities in Germany, and will soon be so in France and England. A few technologies, like photovoltaics for instance, are only just coming on to the market.
Would an area of 160 km2 be enough to guarantee Switzerland’s energy supply from solar energy?
It’s a general observation. Comparing this figure is what is important. We have 720 km2 of roads, 395 km2 of buildings and 90 km2 of railways. So 160 km2 are not a lot. The figure certainly contradicts those who claim that an area many times the size of Switzerland would be needed to generate this solar energy. Insulated buildings can cut the energy requirement and by cutting the requirement, almost three-quarters of what we require could be covered by solar energy as early as 2030. Our very first task must be to improve efficiency, in vehicles, buildings, lighting, information technology and much more. Everywhere, there is an enormous potential which has remained virtually untapped. Solar energy in all of its forms, including photovoltaics, could cover a significant share of our requirement – perhaps even as much as 100 per cent in a century’s time.
Generally speaking, do you think it’s possible that renewable energies will supply all of the planet’s energy at some time in the future?
It has to be possible. In 50–100 years, fossil fuels will run out or become very expensive and hard to extract. In the foreseeable future, society will therefore have no option but to use only renewable energies. It’s absolutely essential and the question is, how soon will we start to do this?
We are repeatedly hearing about percentage intermediate targets.
There are a number of different studies and targets which vary from country to country. In Europe, the figure is 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020. The USA will probably specify a similar target. The targets for other countries, which to date have barely relied on renewable energies, will have to be very ambitious. In Switzerland, we are well placed thanks to hydroelectric power. Other countries such as Germany, which has been on the right track since the 1990s thanks primarily to wind energy and biomass, already produce between 5 and 7 per cent of electrical energy from wind energy. Biomass will also play a key role in the production of heat and electricity. We are, of course, speaking about Western countries, but the target here is for 20 per cent of energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.
Is there a difference between the technologies used to generate solar energy in sunny countries and countries like Switzerland where there is often a lot of low-hanging cloud?
The technologies used to generate solar energy do indeed vary depending on the climate. It would be a mistake to try and solve every country’s problems with a single technology. Where the climate is like that of California or North Africa, the technology of a concentrating solar power system is very appropriate – the concentrated solar energy is used to generate heat, steam or electricity. This technology is not suitable for Switzerland though, where sunlight in winter is somewhat diffuse. Here, passive solar energy generation is better suited. However, we must be aware that we need to develop storage technologies.
Would it not be possible to transport solar energy from sunny countries?
That will also have to be taken into consideration. But one benefit of renewable energies is that they can be generated and used locally. For instance, 50 m2 of solar collectors on a roof enable enough electricity to be generated for a particular building or fed into the power network. The amount of energy generated can be adapted in line with demand. Synergies between groups of buildings also need to be used. There are buildings which have too much heat and can give part of this to other buildings. There are buildings which need cooling and this cold can be produced using the heat. This is known as industrial ecology between groups of buildings. On a broader basis, the electricity network will play a major role, as a smart grid. The network will help transport energy from one location to another and to save it in reservoirs. One day, we will see a network that will possibly operate like the Internet does today.
When can the smart grid be implemented?
It’s hard to say. In Switzerland, we hold a major trump card. The many dams here mean that we have good opportunities to store electrical energy. In some countries, the concept of the smart grid is just being introduced now. I’m thinking of California, for instance. Here in Switzerland, the concept is being examined in many laboratories. Implementation will follow very soon, things will suddenly happen very quickly.
With regard to climate change, can research still achieve anything or are we too late?
We are in constant contact with experts. The question is how politics, business and society will react. It is not yet too late but we no longer have a large timeframe in which to take action. Ten years, five years? I don’t know. The time we have in which to change course is no more than ten years. If we have failed to achieve a reduction of at least 30 per cent by then, we should expect the worst: a rise in the temperature by two degrees, a billion displaced people, war, economic crises. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, these things will affect quite a few European countries as well.
What urgent action needs to be taken now?
The political course must now be set. The scientists have done their work. Every one of us needs to recognise our individual responsibility, in the way we behave and in the products we choose. I am convinced that we will find other forms of tourism, enjoy driving other types of vehicle and living in other types of building.
Where do you see the boundaries of research to be?
Are there boundaries to science? I don’t think so. We have often made the mistake of thinking that science has gone as far as it can. But knowledge does not have boundaries, and thank goodness, we always have reasons to search and are always hopeful of discovering. What science cannot do is to have an answer for everything today. It can’t work wonders. Patience and persistence are what is needed. In the energy field, a photovoltaic cell which is 60 per cent efficient would be great but we haven’t yet achieved this. It would be great to not have to rely on fossil fuels but we’re not there yet. Society, the business world and politics all have to support science, especially in those areas where support is urgently needed. For instance, how we intend to tackle the problems of global nutrition, worldwide water supplies, energy supply and climate change. These are the four main problems which we have to solve.
What spurs you on in your work? You mentioned curiosity at the start. What else?
One philosophy that influences me and that I feel a special affinity with, is Taoism. The philosophy of Lao-tzu is based on nature and its description. According to Lao-tzu, we only understand that we are really powerful once we have succeeded in overcoming our own fears and doubts. For this means that we are capable of combating our faults and of finding the energy that we need to move forward. This inner light, this feu sacré, to excel oneself, is what characterises athletes, musicians and sometimes politicians too. Even under unfavourable circumstances, if you can manage to let your little inner light shine in the nicest way, then you really have achieved your goal.
What does tradition mean to you?
I see tradition as communication of knowledge and findings between generations. It’s about making huge strides, in technology too. Each generation makes the mistake of believing that it will be the last and that it will either save or destroy everything. In this respect, no one generation is better than another. What is important, in terms of tradition, is the communication of knowledge, findings, gestures, philosophies and wisdom from one generation to the next. The same mistakes are often repeated many times over due to poor communication. Memories fade, people forget. Science, and in particular neuroscience, will one day allow us to pass the memory of one generation on to the next in a much better way.
What does care mean to you?
Taking care. ICARE, incidentally, is also the name I gave our institute, the Institute of Infrastructures, Resources and Environment. These are the three areas where we must take care. In the coming years, infrastructure will be essential in transporting energy. We must take care of resources, such as energy resources, water and food resources. As far as the environment is concerned, climate change poses the biggest problem. Taking care of our planet is something that we will have to internalise and embrace in our everyday lives if we are to leave behind a planet that future generations can inhabit. When our children ask what we have made of the world we lived in, I would like to be able to look them in the eye and say that I, and others with me, did everything possible to at least pass the world on to you as we inherited it from our parents.
What is passion for you?
The burning enthusiasm, the fire in us that lets us live and drives our emotions, and which is vital to everything we do. Science needs this spark. So many things require our effort, our energy, our commitment night and day. Without feu sacré we would not have the strength to achieve something extraordinary. Something wonderful can only be achieved if it is done with passion. In science in particular, we have a huge chance to push things to the limit, to go to the limits of knowledge, the limits of the physical world. Discovering things is fantastic. Passion should definitely be in every job, every piece of work.
What is excellence for you?
Excellence is something very personal. It’s the desire to achieve ambitious goals. Excellence is very temporary, though. It doesn’t wait for us, we have to try hard to achieve it. Excellence is once again this inner light, the feu sacré, that everyone should let shine as brightly as possible for themselves. By moving towards conquering one’s laziness, one’s demons and overcoming one’s faults, we let our inner light shine. In research, we have the opportunity to repeatedly strive for excellence, to strive for a goal, like a light that shines ahead of us but which does not wait for us. That is what is fascinating yet at the same time difficult, because you always have to question yourself and think everything over. All throughout your life.