There is an Australian company hoping to cash in on creating energy from the vast amounts of energy in our oceans. Carnegie Limited Corporation has been developing a wave technology called CETO for the last 8 years. Since 2000, the company has developed and tested 3 different designs of their CETO invention and they are now ready to begin commercial development and product rollout. CETO is the brainchild of inventor and successful entrepreneur, Alan Burns. Simply put CETO is a giant pump that is submerged under water and uses the ebb of ocean waves to drive a piston that produces high pressure sea water. The pump is driven by a large bouy tethered to the top of the CETO unit. When a wave passes, upward tension is exerted as the bouy "floats" up; this motion draws in high pressure water into a connected pipe system. As the wave recedes, the reverse shut off valve traps the water and pushes it ashore, and the cycle repeats itself with the next wave. The high pressure water can be used for two purposes, it can be connected to turbines to produce electricity or it can be connected to reverse osmosis membranes to produce fresh water. There are several advantages of this system vs. other wave energy technologies: 1) Everything is submerged in the water so there is no visual impact and 2) energy creation happens onshore so there are no high voltage wires carrying electricity underwater.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
CETO - The Future of Clean Energy
In 2008 the race for alternative energy is in full swing on the global playing field. Many companies are exploring new and innovative ways to harness the worlds naturally occurring energy resources in economically feasible ways. Strong ploical forces and increased public awareness of global warming are driving exciting new developments in this market. According to a "Global trends in sustainable energy investment" report, clean energy project spending increased from 59 billion euros in 2006 to 94 billion euros in 2007 - that is a 60% increase! This sector strength is expected to remain strong for the rest of 2008 and beyond as we transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources. World governments are creating policies to help accelerate further innovation and new technological developments via increased subsidies and the introduction of carbon credit economics. The Kyoto Accord of 2000 promises that G1 nations will limit their carbon output by 50% (from year 2000 levels) by 2050. Some experts think we can get there before then while others are not so sure. As oil supplies begin to peak, drilling gets more expensive, and demand for crude remains strong, it is estimated that alternative energy sources will become increasingly attractive relative to coal and oil. Despite increasing expenses to produce traditional energy sources, there is adoption resistance for new technologies by larger energy companies who know the return on investment of "proven" technologies like coal, oil, and gas. They are less willing to take a chance on some of these newer technologies. Small companies world-wide are answering the call for clean energy production and some of these companies are making some big waves in the media. Many of these companies are focused on more popular technologies like solar and wind, but others are exploring less conventional sources, like our oceans. The waves in our oceans may well prove to be a major contributor as one of the most important solutions to curb the climate crisis. Scientists estimate that our world's oceans contain enough energy to provide 10 times the world's current total energy consumption.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Open Source Hardware
I read a very interesting article today that I want to share with you. It's about the evolution of design and manufacturing in electronics hardware. You can find the article on Wired - Build It. Share It. Profit. Based on the success of software's Open Source movement, the author inquires about the feasibility of a profitable Open Source Hardware (OSH) market. There are reader comments at the end of the article that contain some pretty cool resources/links to examples where this trend in OS Hardware is already transforming other industries. This evolution is blurring the line between patented (protected for profit) technologies and hardware designs that are free for anyone to use and replicate pretty much however they require to fit their application.
The author poses a good question of "how can anyone make money" if they give their work away for free. The answer is interesting in that it emphasizes what marketers have known for years, it's all about the brand. Those that choose to make a living with OS Hardware try to create a niche for themselves as experts in their field and this has the effect of others looking to them for input, guidance, and collaboration on new devices. People find the inventors. The power of their brand gives them a chance at new business before anyone else, and this is extremely valuable and can be sold.
As we shift more from the traditional - design it, build it, patent it, and profit from the product approach - it seems that value is created not so much in the product as in it's design. Utility is maximized by the fact that hardware can be created and destroyed at a faster pace than ever before; design changes can be implemented in much less time and far cheaper than at any other time in history. This trend will continue and it's effects will be profound. The advances in nanotechnology will only accelerate this phenomenon into the next 10 years. Software is already converging with organic matter in ways we could only imagine 10 years ago. We have developed tiny (atomic) robots to perform various life saving functions in the medical field already.
These tiny machines will be designed, programmed, and brought to market much faster under the new OS Hardware economy. There is no stopping the new wave, you can't even hope to contain it. Government regulation would be the only way to even curb it, but it's effect is debatable considering the various and sometimes opposing laws governing every country.
What do you think?
The author poses a good question of "how can anyone make money" if they give their work away for free. The answer is interesting in that it emphasizes what marketers have known for years, it's all about the brand. Those that choose to make a living with OS Hardware try to create a niche for themselves as experts in their field and this has the effect of others looking to them for input, guidance, and collaboration on new devices. People find the inventors. The power of their brand gives them a chance at new business before anyone else, and this is extremely valuable and can be sold.
As we shift more from the traditional - design it, build it, patent it, and profit from the product approach - it seems that value is created not so much in the product as in it's design. Utility is maximized by the fact that hardware can be created and destroyed at a faster pace than ever before; design changes can be implemented in much less time and far cheaper than at any other time in history. This trend will continue and it's effects will be profound. The advances in nanotechnology will only accelerate this phenomenon into the next 10 years. Software is already converging with organic matter in ways we could only imagine 10 years ago. We have developed tiny (atomic) robots to perform various life saving functions in the medical field already.
These tiny machines will be designed, programmed, and brought to market much faster under the new OS Hardware economy. There is no stopping the new wave, you can't even hope to contain it. Government regulation would be the only way to even curb it, but it's effect is debatable considering the various and sometimes opposing laws governing every country.
What do you think?
Friday, October 24, 2008
Electric Cars
I recently watched the documentary, "Who Killed The Electric Car". If you haven't seen it, you should. For those of you who have seen it, bear with me as I lay some context for those who haven't. The premise of the movie revolves around investigating some questionable business decisions that auto giant GM made back in the mid 1990's related to their own electric car. Essentially, GM introduced an electric car that consumers loved then completely removed it from the market, and despite consumer demands to build more, destroyed every last one of the cars. The movie ends in sad fashion with potential consumers wondering what happened to the cars they loved so much.
10 years later...
Google is partnering with GE to develop an intelligent power grid that includes plug in hybrid electric vehicles. My, my, my - I bet GM execs are wondering what the hell is happening right before their very eyes. When they decided to kill the electric car they gave environmentally conscious consumers every reason imaginable as to why they couldn't mass produce them. They claimed that the cost/profit ratio was too high making them economically unreasonable. They said that the feedback from consumers was "lukewarm" and generally unfavorable. They provided a healthy list of other reasons outlining why it couldn't be done despite clear evidence that people were hungry for new and refreshing options.
It's a new world now!
I never thought that Al Gore would kickstart one of the most important issues, if not the most important issue, humanity has ever faced. But his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", has created arguably one of the most important movements of our time. I am surprised by the players stepping up to tackle the clean energy conundrum and I am confident in our ability to find the solutions we need by working together, supporting these efforts, and by innovating new business models that consider our environment first.
It's a shame that it won't likely be one of the American car companies that leads the way to change what needs to be changed, even when they are in the driver's seat for finding viable solutions. Perhaps GM, Ford, and Chrysler are victims of the ever-popular boiling frog analogy.
Check out this video from Google's RechargeIT program.
Thoughts?
10 years later...
Google is partnering with GE to develop an intelligent power grid that includes plug in hybrid electric vehicles. My, my, my - I bet GM execs are wondering what the hell is happening right before their very eyes. When they decided to kill the electric car they gave environmentally conscious consumers every reason imaginable as to why they couldn't mass produce them. They claimed that the cost/profit ratio was too high making them economically unreasonable. They said that the feedback from consumers was "lukewarm" and generally unfavorable. They provided a healthy list of other reasons outlining why it couldn't be done despite clear evidence that people were hungry for new and refreshing options.
It's a new world now!
I never thought that Al Gore would kickstart one of the most important issues, if not the most important issue, humanity has ever faced. But his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", has created arguably one of the most important movements of our time. I am surprised by the players stepping up to tackle the clean energy conundrum and I am confident in our ability to find the solutions we need by working together, supporting these efforts, and by innovating new business models that consider our environment first.
It's a shame that it won't likely be one of the American car companies that leads the way to change what needs to be changed, even when they are in the driver's seat for finding viable solutions. Perhaps GM, Ford, and Chrysler are victims of the ever-popular boiling frog analogy.
Check out this video from Google's RechargeIT program.
Thoughts?
Sunday, February 17, 2008
If it wasn't for humor we'd all go crazy. Life is meant to be honored, respected, and enjoyed! When we wake up in the morning it's a gift. When you step outside and feel the cold winter air in your nose it's a gift. Appreciate the majesty in life while you can. One minute you're here, the next minute your not. Be yourself, you're a gift to the world. If you're going to join a cult, try to join one that preaches righteousness.
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