Solar Energy Creates Quite a Firestorm

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Wow, my comments on solar energy really upset some people.

They thought I entirely bypassed the largest single issue related to the viability of solar power as a significant contributor to our “power portfolio”, which was:

“how much energy per square meter is even available?”… the flux density of solar radiation at Earth’s orbit around the sun is a FIXED VALUE… people need to accept it… And no degree of engineering prowess can alter that fact. No technological leaps can change that. Nothing, short of altering the sun itself, or relocating the orbit of Earth… can alter that… You’re treating this like a PSYCHOLOGY ISSUE. It’s not. It’s a “cost/benefit analysis” issue, plain and simple… It will never become anything more than a “marginal” addition to the overall power generation pool…

The rest of the conversation got nasty, condescending, and increasingly irate. LinkedIn is usually more professional than that, but I had to respond even though I knew it would upset folks further because there were some glaring mistakes and I couldn’t let them be marginalized or dismissed as unrealistic, uneducated, or stupid.
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Could solar power energy be the future? Why? What will it take?

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Recently on LinkedIn Professor Phillip asked this question to the group:

“Could solar power energy be the future? Why?

Sunlight is the world’s largest energy source and the amount that can be readily accessed with existing technology greatly exceeds the world’s primary energy consumption. Sunlight is free, clean, endless and technically exploitable in most of the inhabited earth.

Whilst today in the UK, solar power is only economical in high value niche applications, growth is being achieved where subsidies are available. Projections show the potential to achieve economic viability for a significant generation share, particularly in emerging economies.

How do you think solar power will be integrated in the future?”

My answer was the following: Anytime a significant new energy source is proposed for mass consumption, it faces two huge barriers to entry.
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Innovator’s View of Best Practices 4

PART FOUR IN A SERIES – Important Points about Best Practices

As we said previously: Best Practices are solutions that have worked in the past and represent old knowledge. Best Practices have a context for success.

If you are looking to best practices, you had better understand the Psychological Inertia of your situation so you understand (before time, effort, and resources are expended) if their context for success will work within your context for success.
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Innovator’s View of Best Practices 1

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PART ONE IN A SERIES – Let’s start with the basics.

Survival is a human’s main motivating force.

Note: Survival is an organization’s main motivating force, too. Like humans, organizations do what they must do to survive.

Because humans are social creatures, our most foundational survival tools revolve around interactions/relationships. It starts when we are born, helpless and weak. If other people didn’t meet our needs, we would die. As we develop competence, power and knowledge, we apply those skills within and against our social structure. This, in turn, causes our environment to adapt. The most foundational aspect (underlying process) of human survival is to interact in ways that are, overall, beneficial.
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In large & fragmented orgs how can you embed an innovation culture?

Recently the question went out: In large organisations (i.e., with more than 10,000 employees working in a wide range of departments and functions) how can you truly embed an innovation culture?

The best answer I read was by Richard Campbell (Business Innovation Consultant at Jekkub Design Management, London, United Kingdom). (My responses to his ideas are in brown.) He said, “There are as many authorities on innovation as there are ways to foster such cultures. Which of these that will work for your company depends on the existing culture…” This is absolutely true. Because innovation must be useful to the company, it must be ‘customized’ (for lack of a better word) to that culture. To miss out on this important concept means the solution will probably not stick.  Then he said, “who is the innovation champion, how engaged are your staff currently (have they seen lots of pointless change recently)…” This I partially agree with. People are willing to engage if they feel their opinions are heard and if the new idea fits with their understanding of the situation. The reason pointless change is pointless is because it fights the existing culture.  (All of what Richard said is powerful, but I’m just going to focus on this starting idea.) When you understand your company’s culture, you will understand why the company is stagnating in certain areas, which will be the areas that need innovation and will give the best ROI.
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Which country/region will have the most influence on long term trends?

Recently I was asked this question: “Which country/region will have the most influence on long term trends? Will it be Brazil, London, Middle East, Korea, China

  1. Brazil- 2014 World Cup & 2016 Olympics
  2. London- Host to 2012 Olympics
  3. The Middle East- Arab Spring Uprising
  4. Korea- forefront of 3D/ 4D and augemented reality
  5. China- economy bigger than USA by 2016 2 days ago

Here’s my answer at the 50,000 foot view for the long term:

The US still has the most potential IF we capitalize on our native innovative culture.
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Incremental versus Radical Innovation (disruptive innovation, too)

Audio Clip: Radical vs Incremental Innovation

Avatar Picture of DaynaRecently someone asked me, “Can you give me an example of radical versus incremental innovation – and throw in an example of distruptive innovation, too.” This is what I said:

My great grandmother (Nana) lived to be 99 years old. We asked her what was the most amazing technology she ever saw, “Was it when man first walked on the moon?”

“No,” she said; “what moved my heart and shocked my mind was at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. I saw a man ascend in a hot air balloon. That was the first time in my life I realized man would fly. Everything from that moment on was an obvious next step.”
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Pioneer Thinking versus Entitlement

Avatar Picture of DaynaPioneer Thinking (.wmv)

I know I often write about psychological inertia (PI) and the problems it creates, but today I want to talk about how PI can be beneficial in some cases and detrimental in other cases.  As Americans, we used to embrace some PI that was great (the pioneering spirit) and I fear we are in danger of losing it – replacing it – overwriting it with something new (a system of entitlement).

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