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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One of the tools professional innovators use is the idea of resources. There are always hidden resources within a system (social system, financial systems, and technological system, etc.). Finding those resources and using them in new ways will allow change to take place.

Having said that, there is still a problem – the resources are hidden – as previously stated. The reason they stay hidden is
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PART TWO IN A SERIES – Be Relevant

Relevance is achieved when we add value. Now this is so important, it needs to be fully understood and digested. We are relevant only when we add value.

When we stop adding value, we diminish.

The concept is so important we’re going to say this in a slightly different way.
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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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