Energy futures in Virtual Reality

How do you visualise a new and complex solution to one of green energies biggest problems – how to store large quantities of sustainable energy for a longer period of time? SEAS-NVE needed to visualise and communicate this concept and make it believable for the different stakeholders. The solution was to create a virtual reality movie, that gave the viewer a sense of being present and able to see, listen, and feel the technology, and a physical model to draw people into discussions and create awareness.

Challenge

We were hired to - in a simple way - communicate what the energy storage project is about with a focus on how a thermal storage is functioning.

The energy storage project is in a developing phase over several years. The main focus is to enable communication – internal as well as external – to create a general goodwill with citizens, politicians and other stakeholders with regards to the project.

The internal focus is to communicate the solution to SEAS employees and delegations, who thereby are being able to see the solution, they all are working on.

Deliverables

The deliverables were:

2 x exhibition models
1 x Virtual Reality animation

The exhibition models are standing models made of wood and laser cut acrylics, which gives an overview of the landscape and thereby setting the context of the physical space. This gives the different stakeholders a possibility to see, how their interest and area of concern are being addressed, and to touch the different elements in the solution.

The virtual reality animation is a 360 model, which can be applied to a VR-headset, where the user will get the experience of seeing, hearing and almost feel the context of the environment. It can also be seen on a phone and a computer, where the user can move the point-of-view in all directions.

The animation is made in a birds’ perspective and fly over the landscape, showcasing the use of heated stones, the way the solutions use the existing energy infrastructure, and how it affects an user in a normal household with electricity.