Under the smoke

Just outside the small village of Geertruidenberg stands the Amercentrale—a coal- and biomass-fired power station with its towering cooling stack dominating the horizon. I’ve seen it for years, growing up nearby, watching it from the car window as a child, passing it on my road bike through the polders. For the longest time, it was just another industrial landmark. But in a world where climate change unfolds before our eyes, its smoking chimneys now feel almost offensive. A looming presence over the village, a relic of an era we should be leaving behind. Maybe I don’t know enough about energy to make grand statements, but I do know this: the world is changing, and I feel powerless. So, Amercentrale—enough. It’s time to move forward. It’s time to go green.

I’ll be revisiting Geertruidenberg with my camera, and one day, I hope there will be no smoke coming from those chimneys.