Solarpunk The future we want to create

Sci-fi & art trends

Science fiction is an artistic genre that emerged a hundred years ago (although works from earlier times can be found) with recognized masters such as Isaac Asimov, Lewis Carroll, HP Lovecraft, but is still more than valid today thanks to Christopher Nolan, Alan Moore and the important influence of platforms such as the internet.

In the mid 70's punk visual art appeared as a subculture based on new punk rock music album covers, concert flyers and punk magazines.  His visual aesthetic emerged, characterized by the use of collage images with newspaper and magazine clippings. And in the early 80's (or late 70's) the evolution of supercomputers (based on robots, AI, computers and arcade games) emerged led by megacorporations (American and then Japanese influenced) but there were also individuals, people and whole communities with enthusiasm for programming,  design and modification of this kind of systems from their homes with different motivations (justice, hacking, nerd bragging challenges or just money) but the common one was to enjoy the intellectual challenge that this matter meant, thus the hacker culture emerged (but with time the meaning of the term was degraded with the term cracking) and the guilds of art and entertainment saw the opportunity to bring works such as TRON and Blade Runner (1982), Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984) and AKIRA by Katsuhiro Otomo (1982) and musical artists such as Clock DVA(1978), Sigue Sigue Sputnik(1982) and Front Line Assembly(1986) where the main axis is the use of synthesizers. The gathering of all these collectives and fashions gave the green light to lay the foundations of the artistic-cultural movement called Cyberpunk. The society coined the term thanks to the name of a work by writer Bruce Bethke. Due to the aforementioned background the term Cyberpunk was defined as a subgenre of science fiction set in a dystopian futuristic environment of scenarios similar to the Japanese city of Tokyo (but especially the Shibuya neighborhood) and tends to focus on a society hit by rebellion and debauchery, drugs, crime and legal impunity, in general, a low standard of living. At the same time, a great advance of technologies based on electronics and computers for all kinds of applications (entertainment, transportation, fashion, health, war) managed by corporations that want to take over all kinds of control (and sometimes advocate slavery).

It is just a style of art. But usually art is the inspiration of reality, and this can result in something dangerous or sometimes useful for society. Well, about tastes there is nothing written, because like this art style there are others like Junkpunk, Steampunk, Space Western, Space Opera (which I like a lot) but also the one that for me makes more sense for society, Solarpunk.

Solarpunk: The bright future

Solar punk is a concept that was born from art in the early 2000s, as an optimistic and alternative response to the somber tone of movements such as Cyberpunk. If Cyberpunk is built on a dystopian, hyper-technological future controlled by megacorporations, Solarpunk proposes to imagine futures where technology and nature coexist in harmony, offering a utopian vision of sustainability, community and ecological balance. Instead of dark urban landscapes full of neon and chaos, Solarpunk imagines cities covered in vegetation, with renewable technologies and innovative solutions that work to rebuild the link between humanity and its natural environment.

This movement takes its name from the prefix “solar,” referring to solar energy as a symbol of sustainability, and combines it with the punk spirit of rebellion and defiance of the status quo. Like many contemporary art movements, Solarpunk began on the fringes of popular culture, initially through blogs, illustrations and speculative stories, and gained traction in the last decade. Today it is recognized as more than an artistic style: it is a cultural philosophy that explores fundamental questions about how humanity might redesign its relationship with the planet and the technologies it creates. Like other sub-genres of art and science fiction such as Steampunk or Cyberpunk, Solarpunk seeks to shape a cultural imaginary and, in doing so, influence society itself. But while Cyberpunk explores the dangers of progress without ethics or limits, Solarpunk proposes an active resistance against the problems of climate change, social inequality and hyperconsumption, imagining a future in which cities run on renewable energy, political systems are decentralized and local communities play a leading role.

Visually, Solarpunk combines high-tech elements with organic forms: buildings covered with solar panels and vertical gardens, streets illuminated with natural bioluminescence, clothes made of sustainable materials and environments that seem to integrate naturally with the surrounding landscape. It is an art where aesthetics not only seeks beauty, but also has an ethical and environmental function. This approach recalls the importance of design in everyday life: imagining a utopian city is not only a matter of style, but of values. Moreover, it differs from other art movements because it does not stop at speculative fiction; its community advocates bringing these ideas to the plane of the practical. Whether through the promotion of renewable energy, permaculture, energy transition movements or even DIY philosophy, Solarpunk transcends the merely aesthetic and becomes a call to action. As is often said in this movement: it is not enough to imagine better futures; we must build them.

In this case, Solarpunk not only represents an artistic rebellion against the dystopian hopelessness of social movements like Cyberpunk, but proposes something profoundly radical: the possibility of environmental hope. In a world saturated with apocalyptic images, Solarpunk is a reminder that art can also offer solutions, and that imagining more just and sustainable futures is the first step towards achieving them. 

Solarpunk: The right way of engineering and capitalism

Solar punk is a concept that proposes a transformation in engineering and capitalism towards a sustainable model that prioritizes efficiency, technological innovation, and the responsible use of natural resources. This transition does not imply abandoning economic progress, but rather adapting it to the challenges of the present, such as climate change and resource scarcity, by using pragmatic and scalable solutions.

Behind engineering, Solarpunk prioritizes technologies that combine functionality and environmental friendliness. This includes the adoption of green infrastructure, such as buildings that produce more energy than they consume, decentralized energy grids based on renewable sources, and materials designed to be recycled.

In capitalism, the solarpunk model promotes value creation through self-sustaining solutions that benefit businesses and customers. Innovation and competition are driven towards markets with efficient products, renewable energy, clean mobility infrastructure, and industrial processes that reduce long-term costs through resource optimization. This strengthens an economic model based on responsibility, where growth is not only compatible with environmental preservation but depends on it to ensure future stability 

Solar punk is an opportunity to redesign the Fab systems, bringing modern capitalism together with what combines profitability and sustainability, preserving fundamental values in the free market and technological progress. This is the next step to build a sound economic development that ensures a viable future for all people. 

Posted on Thursday, December 19th / 2024, at 10:03 am by Santiago Medina G.