Thoughts on "Our Choice" by Al Gore

Just finished reading and taking notes on this interesting but somewhat chaotic book about solving global warming (kind of a sequel to an "An Inconvenient Truth"). Al Gore covers a lot of ground but the depth varies from superficial to overly deep. It's not clear who the target audience is but I found it worth the time.

As a techie and entrepreneur I'm always looking through the "opportunity" lens. Here are a few of my somewhat messy notes -

1. Methane capture - what are the challenges and opportunities?
2. Uses for black carbon
3. LED lighting - awesome stuff, very efficient, long-lasting, relatively non-toxic
4. Efficiency

• More efficient electric motors
• Capture waste heat
• Insulation, windows, lighting, etc.
• Fluid handling
• Software for calculating efficiency/savings of a building

5. Social networking software or game
6. Information technology

• Visualize – e.g. IR cameras, simulated energy loss from windows/appliances/walls, community energy losses, etc.
• Model – estimate improvements and savings, impact of changes/activities, etc.
• Evaluate
• Redesign
• Inform and motivate and mobilize and organize
• Monitor and manage

7.Idea: Remote, non-intrusive electricity/gas meter
8. Cut travel, save money – Cisco’s TelePresence
9. “Prius effect” – seeing usage reduces it – idea: iPhone app to measure car accelerators in order to reduce use of gas and braking

Part 6: Software opportunities in cleantech/greentech

Parts 1 through 5 of this blog covered:

• The current dearth of software-only cleantech/greentech companies
• A categorization of the space and some examples of software companies
• Discussion of the enablers for software companies in cleantech
• Some thoughts around opportunities with or without the enablers in place

The discussion continues...

Another (obvious) enabler of software startups in cleantech is funding. In the venture capital angel communities there is a mixed level of support. Per my earlier post, if we consider just investments in software-only cleantech companies the number of investments is small. However, I think that low level of investment is an outcome not a cause. In other words, investors will put money into cleantech software companies but there just aren't very of them looking for funding.

Another way of looking at the cleantech software opportunity space is to analyze who is hiring and for what. For example, SimplyHired shows many open positions at cleantech companies. However, only 2% or 3% of these positions are software positions at software companies, two examples are: Sustainable Spaces and eMeter.

Random stuff:

An interesting article about the intersection of cleantech and software in the Seattle, WA area

The title says it all, "New Software Helps Companies Analyze Cleantech Spending"

It's not software :) but an awesome "smart" power strip for saving money

Until next time!

Part 5: Cleantech/greentech software opportunities - enablers continued

In the previous post I started to discuss some of the enablers that will help software entrepreneurs and startups in cleantech/greentech. This post continues that discussion and gives a couple of examples of how enablers convert into opportunities.

Enablers

1. A common set of widely used API(s) for sensing and acting on cleantech/greentech hardware. For example, API(s) to measure and control temperature, pressure, velocity, etc.

2. Access to existing information. For example, the utility companies have huge amounts of data regarding electricity, gas and water consumption but this information is not available outside of their "walled gardens". Obviously privacy and security must be maintained but there is currently no way for a consumer to even indicate to the utility whether they allow access to third parties.

3. Consumer education and willingness. At the consumer level, without automation in place, individuals must be willing to manually enter data and act on the results. This is obviously problematic but there are specific instances where it happens today, e.g. people turning off lights and appliances.

4. Business education and willingness. Businesses could save a huge amount of electricity each year by simply creating energy saving policies (e.g. "turn off the lights and your computer when leaving for the day..." and asking their employees to comply. How many companies do you know that are doing that?

Opportunities

It's fairly obvious how API(s) and access to existing cleantech/greentech databases provide fertile ground for software entrepreneuring.

With regard to consumers and businesses I speculate that applications, especially community-based ones, that educate, track and promote provide opportunity as well. One hypothetical desktop application might remind and manually record compliance to an energy policy. (Naturally, these apps are subject to neglect and abuse.) Periodic reports show how well the employees en masse are doing. The company can show actual reductions in electricity bills to validate the results and then celebrate and reward their teams.

(Links to greentech/cleantech information sources at http://www.cleantechcomputing.com)

Part 4: Cleantech/greentech software enablers

In parts one through three of this blog, I discussed:

1. The relative dearth of greentech/cleantech software opportunities
2. Categorizing the space and identifying some specific start ups
   
3. Identifying some specific niches
   

[If you're still not convinced of the dearth of software companies in this space, take a look at the good discussion of the taxonomy and funding of cleantech start-ups at
www.triplepundit.com The funding numbers show that funding for software companies in this space is, literally, not even on the charts.]

So the $64K question is...how long will the existing situation, only a few small niche opportunities, last? In other words, what are the enablers to a robust software-based cleantech industry?

One of the key issues is the lack of standards. Without standardized and widely-implemented API(s) for sensing and controlling equipment cleantech software will continue to be regulated to arms-length data processing functions.

So where are we on having such standards? Answer - not very close.

Even within the narrow of realm of personal computers there are a variety of API(s) creating challenges in performing power management. For an interesting discussion see, Triumfant_Whitepaper_Green_IT_Power_Mgt

More on the subject of cleantech enablers and API(s) next time...

Part 3: Clean tech/green tech computing opportunities

In earlier blogs I talked about the relative scarcity of software-only opportunities in clean/green tech and why this situation exists, albeit perhaps temporarily. In addition, I categorized some of the existing companies and provided a few examples, here are a few more:

• www.naverus.com Provides improved navigation for airplanes which, among other things, can save significantly on fuel consumption and decrease emissions.
  
• www.vehiclerouteplanner.com Provides road travel planning and optimization to reduce time and cost (mileage) thereby reducing pollution and enabling more work to be done each day.
  

What are the enablers for new software/service startups in this space?

As previously mentioned, without hardware, particularly sensors or effectors, it's difficult to build a clean tech/green start up. The vast majority of the start-ups are either:

• Building hardware-based systems for energy, transportation, environment or construction
  
• Building devices to measure something (e.g. home electricity use) and act on it (e.g. provide feedback to the home owner)
• Building devices that control something else (e.g. motor controllers).

However, if we look at what data is ~already~ available or what systems can be controlled without more hardware we see:

1. Utilities: utilities already collect a huge amount of information about resource use. For security and privacy reasons they keep this information close (obviously) but it does create an opportunity to sell applications/services to the utilities that process that information and act on it. For example, such an application might send an email or automated phone message to a homeowner when their consumption rises above the level where additional costs kick in.

2. Automotive: the sensors and computers in your car collect information about its (and the driver's) performance which can be used to provide feedback, modify behavior and save fuel (and lower emissions). Again, the issue is getting access to that information and so a startup would need to partner.

3. Computing: computers already have the ability to collect information about their power use and act on it. In many cases, this information is not being used and there is an opportunity to reduce electricity use.

4. Remote sensing: a huge amount of information is publicly available (for a fee) from companies doing remote sensing (air and satellite). This information can be used for everything from providing feedback on electricity use (lights left on at night) to HVAC use (warm/poorly insulated roofs on a cold night).

5. Simulation and modeling: This software runs the gamut from esoteric fluid dynamics/thermodynamics applications for simulating internal engine combustion to modeling wind farms.

Part 2: Clean tech computing - software opportunities

In my previous blog the discussion focused on the preponderance of hardware-based startups in clean tech entrepreneuring. I asked the question, "Where are the opportunities in software in clean tech computing?" and promised to provide a few of my own ideas.

[By the way, I use "clean tech", "cleantech" (without the space) and "greentech" synonymously.]

Of course, almost all the hardware-based opportunities in cleantech require some associated software and/or service; this discussion focuses on software-only plays.

Software-only opportunities are rare because cleantech typically involves interacting with the real world through sensors and actuators that measure and control hardware. And the installed base of open sensors/actuators is small. So these pure software applications tend to rely on humans for sensing (e.g. the lights are on) and humans as effectors (e.g. turn off the power strip).

Nevertheless, there are a few opportunities around today and, hopefully, there will be more over time.

Before getting further into the opportunities we need to establish a road map. To do that, I lay out some of the categories of cleantech software with a few representative URL(s).

By the way, Eric Alderman at www.cleantechsoftware.net has an good list of companies and categories (smart grids, wireless, consumer information, computer energy efficiency).

Mike Cichowski wrote an interesting post at digitalgoggles with his own list of software opportunities.

The follow list and categorization are incremental to theirs.

The list will be filled out over time here and at www.cleantechcomputing.com

• Consumer
• Residential energy audit software - www.laubrass.net, www.energyauditsoftware.com
• Alternative energy - e.g. software to control home automation systems
  
• Conservation - utility optimization
  
• Transportation - Travel planning and optimization
  




• Mid-market
• Building energy tools - US government
• Alternative energy -
• Conservation - Energy and other resource monitoring and reporting
  
• Transportation - Fleet management Maintenance, tracking, etc with an eye toward efficiency, travel management, for example, minimizing road and air travel for field service personnel
  


• Enterprise
• Utilities (energy generation, storage, efficiency, etc) - Energy accounting
• Transportation - Route planning
  
• Embedded -
  

Part 1: Clean tech software opportunities?

Welcome!

The recently published list (below) of semi-finalists in the Pacific Northwest Clean Tech Open competition has 11 hardware companies and 1 software company. Is clean tech inherently that much of a hardware play? Or is this a temporary condition and we'll see more clean tech software start-ups in the future?

Don't get me wrong, I love hardware. I studied mechanical and electrical engineering for years and get a real kick out of building something that requires multiple engineering disciplines. Hardware can give you a competitive advantage, too.

But hardware start-ups are more expensive and take longer...how about some "six months to revenue" clean tech Web 2.0 ideas? Or, even more of a challenge; are there "six months to revenue" ideas that include hardware?

Next blog I'll share a few of my ideas but, in the meantime, feel free to suggest some!


From http://www.techflash.com/Clean_Tech_Open_announces__49182927.html -

"Here's the breakdown of the 12 companies, which included eight Washington companies, three Oregon companies and one Idaho company.

Clarian Technologies -- Smart-grid enabled wind and solar appliances, Seattle.

Extreme Caps -- Energy storage, Olympia.

GoNano -- High surface area nanomaterials for energy storage, Moscow, Idaho.

Green Lite Motors–- 100 mpg commuter car/motorcycle vehicle, Portland.

Hydrovolts -- In-stream hydro turbines, Seattle.

InnovaTek-- Renewable hydrogen fuel cell technology, Richland, Wash.

LivinGreen Materials-- Advanced solar technology, Seattle.

NHThree -- Green anhydrous ammonia production, Richland, Wash.

Pangreen -- Mobile and web-based platforms enabling green living, Kirkland, Wash.

Shorepower Technologies -- Electric charging stations, Portland.

Soluxra -- Low-cost organic solar cells, Seattle.

Veranda Solar -- Plug and play solar appliances, Portland."