What if 90% of all Coal plants are switched to renewables?
Task
The scientists behind SwitchCoal approached us to develop a digital tool that makes their already available SwitchCoal Study datasets accessible and actionable for stakeholders, politicians, and educators.
Goal
The goal was to clearly demonstrate that converting coal power plants to renewable energy is both profitable and economically viable. By organizing and presenting the data—covering environmental and economic factors—the tool provides clear insights into the required investments and projected profits compared to coal, driving informed decision-making.
Challenge
SwitchCoal wanted to present the tool and the study at the COP28 which took place from 30 November to 13 December 2023. At the time we received the briefing, we only had 4 weeks time to deliver a tangible product so it could be presented at a press conference on COP28.
Process
In a rapid and agile design process, close coordination and fast communication between the initiators and the design team were essential to launching a fully functional product in a short time.
Mood boarding helped us quickly translate creative ideas into strong branding, while rapid iterations on data visualizations and animations resulted in a visually engaging and easy-to-understand design.
The biggest challenge was processing the large volume of data into digestible content that could be easily understood by politicians, decision-makers, educators and other target audiences.
Product
We successfully developed a fully functional website and impactful online tool, allowing users to analyze the study's data with diverse filtering options.
Completed in time for the COP28 press conference, the Webflow-built product was made accessible to participants, helping the scientists and initiators achieve their goal of empowering stakeholders to transition from coal to renewables.
Data Visualization
Visualizing the extensive data collected for countries, regions, and individual power plants was a key part of our design process. We ensured that data is quickly accessible with variable depth, allowing users to make informed decisions while also having the option to explore relevant data in more detail when needed.
Color Choice
We chose strong and impactful colors while intentionally avoiding green tones to differentiate from the common "green energy" palette. Pastel shades and harmonizing gray tones, derived from off-white, enhance the overall impression, complemented by bold accent colors like purple and yellow, which stand out even on a large scale.
3D Animation
As a standout feature, we created an engaging 3D animation in Blender that serves as main visual and shareable content. The animation, inspired by the themes of coal exploitation and environmental destruction, illustrates the potential impact of the SwitchCoal study in promoting a transition from coal to renewable energy and a recovering planet.
The modeling was accomplished using Geometry Nodes and Procedural Material in Blender. We utilized an animated weight map for grass growth, and the subsequent rotation animation was rendered in Blender Cycles.
