ABSTRACT
Emancipation means liberation from mental and physical de-
pendencies so that people can go their own free way. Unless
this concerns merely one individual goal, emancipation must be
possible for everybody. This means: emancipation must be possible
for everybody-along the lines of the philosopher Kant’s central
directive, his “categorical imperative”: “Act only according to that
maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become
a universal law.” This imperative is the basic value for any humane
civilization. Many believe that the ideal state this implies, involving
enhanced individual freedom coupled with an orientation to the
common weal, is desirable, yet never attainable. In the energy
area, though, it is largely attainable, namely by using photovoltaic
technology.
