Ørsted

Path to Progress

Pushing down the barriers to a greener future.

Insight

The road to green energy for all is blocked by human-made barriers.

Our climate goals are clear, but the road to achieving them is less so. And while Europe’s green energy industry has shown the path towards a greener future, progress is held up by complex policies and opaque processes.

The good thing about human-made barriers? We, as their architects, have the power to take them down.

A 3D-rendered image of a modern, transparent blue glass building with an open door and multiple rectangular sections visible from an angled top view.

A blue, rectangular, grid-like shelving unit with 15 compartments, viewed from above against a light background. Some compartments contain partial walls, creating an abstract geometric pattern.

Idea

A maze of complexity in which policymakers can push down the barriers to green energy – if they choose to.

At Wind Europe in Copenhagen, the world’s largest green energy event, Danish energy company Ørsted challenged policymakers and industry leaders to rethink – and together reshape – the road to a world that runs entirely on green energy.

Conceived by AKQA and created in collaboration with Universal Design Studio, an interactive maze highlighted the obstacles we have created for ourselves on the road to creating meaningful, green change.

Through the maze, visitors are met with the complex challenges facing green energy and given the option to continue as normal, or physically push down the barriers to open a shorter, faster path to progress. Educational and empowering at the same time, the maze shows how a few simple changes can unlock action, and help us reach our climate goals faster.

Beyond the maze itself, the message stretched across digital, social and placements in Copenhagen Airport and on the Copenhagen Metro to invite everyone to take simple steps towards a sound and sustainable Europe.

Text on a blue background reads, The road to a green energy future is full of man-made barriers. The phrase man-made barriers is highlighted in yellow. Simple blue lines form a barrier shape at the bottom.

Impact

Mirroring Ørsted’s ambition towards a better future for humanity, Path to Progress was met with universal acclaim from policymakers from all over the world.

The maze attracted over 800 visitors in just three days, including leading European energy ministers and the HM King Frederik X of Denmark. This led to more than 550 downloads of Ørsted’s latest white paper, on top of the over 800 copies handed out physically at the event, double the number of the company’s last white paper launch.

With a 53 per cent share of voice on social media during Wind Europe and a video completion rate of 2.84 per cent, double the industry average, Path to Progress made Ørsted once of the most visible and talked about companies at Wind Europe.

With this, the Path to Progress has been opened. Who will follow?

orsted.com