The 463: Inside Tech

Thanks Daniel Snyder for Seeing the Light.

(Jim Hock) Yeesh, writing that title was difficult.  While it pains me to walk in my son's Redskins painted room or give any kudos whatsoever to team owner Daniel Snyder bc of his gross mismanagement, I do have to give credit where its due.  And that's new solar installation being installed at Fedex Field.

This is great news that demonstrates the power of renewable energy. All told, there will be 8,000 solar panels to generate a "portion of the stadium’s power on game days and all of its electricity the rest of the week."

Great news.  And as a Volt owner, I am also pleased that the 850-space covered carport will feature 10 charging stations for electric vehicles.

For once at least for me: Way to go Danny-boy!

The South Will Rise Again. And Partly Due to Clean Energy.

(Jim Hock)  The title is tongue in cheek of course, but the new report from Brookings on the clean energy economy shows that more than 2.7 million Americans work in the clean energy sector.  That’s not the future.  That’s today.   

And in 5-10 years, it will be even more.  What’s more, these jobs are well paid and are spread in all regions of the country according to Brookings.  It’s more than the fossil fuel industries and the South has the largest number of clean-economy jobs – or 1 in 3.   Roughly a quarter of US clean tech jobs are in heavy-export manufacturing, according to the study. By comparison, less than 10% of jobs in the broader economy are in manufacturing, the study found.
 
All in all, good news for the advanced energy economy and our country.  Check it out here. 

There’s loads of great facts and cool interactive graphics too.

Futuristic Appliances: In-Demand or Unnecessary?

(Krista Strum) How important is it for your refrigerator or toaster to be intelligent? Most think it’s a ridiculous proposition while others welcome that idea, including the world’s leading technology companies. Cisco, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems are placing their bets on smart appliances eventually becoming a hot “must have” and have devoted money toward more R&D in this area.  

They aren’t alone as they’ve formed partnerships with the likes of GE, MayTag, Samsung and Whirlpool to develop products that, for example, can log recipe’s, calculate cooking times, keep notes, and also play movies. 

Sounds good right? Although product makers think so, consumers haven’t yet warmed up to this idea and aren’t sure smart appliances are necessary.  Recent research shows that consumers are not ready for smart devices quite yet however they are open to energy savings appliances…which sort of fits in the smart devices category. 

Some analysts argue that consumer demand for smart appliances with energy monitoring and controls capabilities is on the rise. However, smart eco-appliances are not without a hefty price tag. For example CNET’s Martin LaMonica noted, “One of the first network ready hot water heaters costs nearly $1,600 more than a low-end model.”

Hefty price-points like this could leave consumers wondering whether they are really saving that much energy to make up for the difference in cost. In many cases, it all boils down to whether they want to pay upfront for the more expensive yet efficient products or sprinkle the energy consumption costs out over time by purchasing a moderately priced one.

 

 

Gore & Doerr in 'O7

Okay, it doesn't have the same ring as the old Gore & Doerr in '04 buttons from 1.0 ago. (And, I wish I could have found mine today so I could scan it). But, at least today's version of the partnership is more than symbolic. In the form of a well-written Fortune piece, it was announced that the former Veep and current Nobel Prize winner is joining Doerr's storied venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as a full-fledged partner working on greentech investments.

And for this blog, one particularly relevant blurb...

Doerr says Kleiner will hire more experts, but insists that the ability to vet and assist entrepreneurs is more important for venture capitalists than industry experience. And the green field is something of, well, a green field. "You can't hire an expert in the recombinant-DNA industry when there isn't one," he says, making a reference to the similar problem Kleiner successfully faced when it backed Genentech in the 1970s.

Gore can certainly help in this arena by, for example, introducing Kleiner people to top atmospheric scientists or government decision-makers. Policy and politics, his specialties, will have a huge impact on the business of clean technology.

Previous coverage of KP and greentech here and here.

The Green Echo Chamber

There is something dangerous about the way we communicate today. By nature, as humans, we seek those who approve of our opinions and avoid those who we disagree with. With the Internet and other mediums that provide the illusion of contact of contact and interaction with all types of people all over the world, you are lulled into a false sense that there is Massive amounts of energy and support for People Like You. This is a big problem with the contemporary green movement that seems to be Everywhere. But is it? And, even if it is, are the fleeting images of magazine covers and rock concerts deriving change?

This thought is raised and explored in a Guardian (UK) article about the green focused panel at last week's TechNet event. A long excerpt (after jump)...

TechNet Ushers in a New Day for Tech Policy

When the industry CEO group TechNet launched 10 years ago with uber-VC John Doerr, Cisco chief John Chambers and Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale at the helm, I can guarantee you that green technology was the furthest thing from those leaders' minds.  Back then, it was all about shareholder litigation and education reform.

Fast forward five years.  Education is still key, but attention shifts to stock options and broader competitiveness issues.  The big external issue is the reverberations from 9/11.

But, well into the last year and behind the scenes, it became increasingly clear that environmental issues and energy demands will play a significant impact on TechNet's second decade.  The first step along this path was the release today of the group's green tech federal policy recommendations at an event in Washington, DC.  In a nice bit of symmetry and follow-through, both Doerr and Chambers helped unveil the plan at the National Press Club today.

The full report can be downloaded here.  The Green Wombat blog summarizes the recommendations:

Jonathan Schwartz at the Tech Policy Sumnmit

This morning's interview between the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg and Sun's CEO....

Notes are drastically paraphrased....

A Green State of the Union?

It has long been predicted that President Bush would use this Tuesday's State of the Union to advance a new administration energy policy.  That's likely.  But, what's still not known is how much of a priority Bush will make the issue in both the speech and in follow-up.  And, importantly to many in the tech industry, how much will the policy focus on greentech -- both in alternative energies and tech-driven energy efficiencies.

As long as nearly two years ago, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has suggested that Bush providing a new vision on energy policy and related environmental issues could be his "Nixon in China" moment.  Back in 2005, he said:

Imagine if George Bush did a Nixon-to-China and he brought the coalition together, bringing neocons and geo-greens together.

Now, in January 2007 and months after California Governor Schwarzenegger took the mantle as perhaps the most powerful greentech-friendly U.S. politician, it could be Bush's big moment.  We'll know for sure on Tuesday.

More Doerr

“Dad, I’m scared and angry; Your generation created this problem. What are you going to do to fix it?”

So says John Doerr's daughter in a Time Magazine essay penned by her father that VentureBeat has run in full. The problem she is referring to is global warming.  Doerr notes that California's legislature made big strides forward by passing the "California Global Warming Solutions Act"-- a bill that has the support of Governor Schwarzenegger. Doerr notes that the legislation:

"caps greenhouse gas emissions across all of the meaningful economic sectors. California-where one of eight Americans live -will now require major industrial producers of such gases to reduce emission by 25% by 2020. That means cutting the annual release of carbon dioxide in the state by 174 million metric tons."

Of course, Doerr also points to the role of "clean technologies" to help California meet these goals.  Doerr and other Kleiner Perkins partners have played a major role in shaping the clean tech debate. And, we expect that their leadership will bring others from Silicon Valley to the table as President Bush launches an expected big energy initiative early next year.

In related news...

Bush to Make Major Clean Tech Push?

Just a guess. From the blog of Time Magazine's White House correspondent:

Previewing the final quarter of Bush's presidency, officials disclosed to Time that the Administration is formulating a huge energy initiative designed to "change the whole nature of the discussion" and challenge the g.o.p., Democrats, the oil and electricity industries, and environmentalists. An adviser said Bush's views about global warming have evolved. "Only Nixon could go to China, and only Bush and Cheney--two oilmen--can bring all these parties kicking and screaming to the table," the adviser said."