Site Archives Future of Energy
US starting to peak in gasoline demand?
I just posted on Memebox FutureBlogger about a recent CERA forecast on the potential plateauing of US gasoline demand inthe next 10-15 years - possibly in 2010.
How can demand peak so soon?
Because sustained high energy prices are forcing the auto industry to increase efficiencies and move beyond the combustion engine as we electrify the industry […]
Launching ‘The Energy Roadmap’ and Post on Al Gore’s Call to Action
It is official!
I will be leading efforts to launch a future of energy blog within the Memebox network on Monday, August 18th!!
“The Energy Roadmap” will be a forward-focused, globally oriented site exploring aspects related to the Energy Industry, Energy and Transportation, Energy and Design, and Energy and Society. I will be the lead writer […]
An update…
A personal/professional update since this blog has not been an accurate mirror of my freelance work world.
The spring and early summer have been quite fantastic (and busy) with several collaborative projects on the:
future of transportation infrastructure (TxDOT/University of Houston Futures Studies program)
future of financial services (Citigroup/FutureThink)
association leadership in 21st century (ASAE/ UK-based FastFuture)
future of […]
Bio-energy: Interview notes from WORT radio (Madison, WI) 4/23/08
My resource notes for a radio interview on WORT (in beautiful Madison, WI) - looking at strategies to counter Peak Oil scenarios through the use of biologically derived energy. e.g. Algae/bacteria that produce biofuels or hydrogen
[First, an important question: Which is more likely to happen first - The ‘end’ of oil? Or the end […]
Time to reinvent the blog…!
It is easy to set up a blog, but not easy to maintain an accurate web presence that reflects, or better yet - balances, one’s personal interests and professional services.
I have struggled to post on a regular basis, and to make those posts accessible to wider audiences. One of the downsides of working […]
For local New Yorkers - I am giving an Energy talk this Saturday (Feb. 16th)
For those readers who are in the New York area, I will be giving a talk on the future of energy this coming Saturday (February 16th)
The ‘Futures Salon’ Meetup(.com) is the local chapter of Futures Salons sponsored by John Smart and the Accelerating Foundation Studies.
Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Stone Creek Bar
140 E. 27th […]
Top Energy Advances in 2007 – the Future of Energy
What is the future of energy? The future of energy is about Asia, electrons, biology, nanoscale materials science and inter-dependence. The great challenge for the energy industry seems to be meeting global demand while trying to overcome production and distribution challenges suitable for a planet of 6 to 9 billion […]
A Future for Bioenergy, thank you Stephen Colbert
Of course I laughed at the quick exchanges and ‘ego’ jokes while Stephen Colbert interviewed Craig Venter (of human genome sequencing fame) on the Colbert Report. But my mouth dropped when Venter spoke very confidently about ‘microorganisms that produce hydrogen or biofuels’, and Colbert played right into this big, powerful idea that could […]
How I Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love… “Robotic” Cars
[Update on 1/21/08 - Since writing this post, General Motors declared that commercial autonomous vehicles are ‘closer than most people assume’; India won cheers and jeers with its $2,500 Nano ‘people’s car‘, and the web has been active in software oriented transportation solutions that tap GPS devices jumping off the shelf at Best Buy; Peer […]
Challenge your assumptions on globalization in 38 minutes
An Association of Professional Futurists colleague Kaipo Lum (CEO Vision Foresight Strategy) has turned me back onto presentations by Thomas Barnett - author of the Pentagon’s New Map and Blueprint for Action.
I remembered Barnett’s 2005 TED Conference presentation quite well - but it always struck me as a specific look at the Iraq war […]
Why Google didn’t buy Navteq Profiting from map-makers, not maps
Last week Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, spent $8 billion to acquire Navteq, the world’s second largest maker of maps used in car-navigation devices and handhelds.
Is it time for us to reconsider the economic value of maps? Or, better yet, the value created in map-making?!
Read more below…
A Visual Journey into Global Development…
“The seemingly impossible is possible” - and then watch me shock the audience in the end… Hans Rosling is back!
TED 2007 has released its latest video of Hans Rosling’s (of Gapminder.org) visual journey / talk on global health and economic development. Nearly one year after his web-famous TED 2006 talk which highlighted […]
The ‘historic shift’ of multi-core chip design… Forget about web 2.0, start thinking about the Tera Era of Computing
Understanding the future of technology is not about seeing ‘trends’ and fads. It is about comprehending real disruption around fundamental shifts in infrastructure and software architecture. That is where we expose and exploit the opportunities and uncertainties of transformational change. The semiconductor industry is poised for several ‘shifts’ – […]
Research Notes Future of energy
Continue reading below for notes on:
1) ‘Taco shell’ protein reveals quantum effects of photon/electron energy;
2) Nanoscale photocatalytic solar cell with ‘superior opto-electronic properties’ splits water into hydrogen;
3) Cheaper H2 catalyst based on nickel-ruthenium complex
4) Studying genomes of phytoplankton & carbon cycling effects;
5) Solid state H2 storage
6) Hydrogen ‘chewing’ bacteria (Ni-Fe)
7) Platinum nickel surface for improved […]
Research Notes on Energy Micro fuel cells; Solar; Batteries vs H2
My research notes on developments in energy markets/technologies:
Micro fuel cells markets: PolyFuel Cell membrane patent; Chinese patent for Viaspace; Toshiba’s membrane; Pallidum; Brookhaven uses gold to protect platinum; Oxygen isn’t a problem for hydrogenase in British bio fuel cell;
H2 / CO2 News: Russia dreams of H2 Electron Economy;
Solar News – Wake Forest’s […]
Cheat Sheet on the Future of Cars & Energy…
I am inspired by GM’s bold push into the all electric motor age of vehicle design… I have been watching their reinvention of vehicle design and manufacturing since their ‘Autonomy’ concept car…
See recent images of Volt’s new fuel cell/battery chassis - via CNET
Continue below to check out my cheat sheet… it is […]
Research Notes Energy- CO2 catalysts, C02 eating bugs, H2 storage)
Graphene catalysts break apart CO2… CNTs or graphene sheets?… Canada’s carbon eating enzymes… creating an artificial enzyme for cellular energy conversion… Solid state hydrogen storage… quantum dots and solar… Silicon Valley’s push into solar… selling wind equipment to China…
Research Notes - 3/12/07 Energy - TXU/KKR, artificial photosyn, thin film solar)
TXU KKR & Coal, Russia/Gazprom’s looks at hydrogen, artificial photosynthesis, DOE grants in thin film solar, SpectroLab’s CPV contract, $4.6m for membrane research at Delaware, Argonne’s nanocatalyst engineering, India’s electrical grid, breakthrough in nitrogenase synthesis, pulling fluorine out of fluorocarbons, NittoDenko’s desalination membranes…
Research Notes - 3/6/07 All about Energy!
Solar research in Nevada, ASU high temp fuel cell membranes/electrolytes, Solaria start up, nanoscale design of photocatalytic nanotubes, solid state storage of gas, University of Rochester’s ethanol genome / membrane breakthroughs, nanoscale thermoelectric energy, nano-piezotronics…
Research Notes - 3/5/07 THZ computing, Google Maps, Video 2.0, OLEDs
More on terahertz…carbon transistors, Google’s ‘geo’ push, video telepresence, online video tools, WiMAX, OLEDs, MEMs, ‘chain link’ clothing (!), ‘black hole’ optical coatings, ultrahydrophobic coatings, etc…
Research Notes - 2/13/07
. Intel announces ‘Tera Era’ of computing, improved H2 production from electrolysis, micro-storage systems for DoCoMo, non toxic nanoparticles coatings, OLED/silicon integration, OLED encapsulation alternatives, future related projects with magnetism / sensing systems (Houston, Texas), nanopumps, optical mirrors, etc.
Future of Energy: American Independence or Global Abundance
“…somehow I know that only when it is dark enough - can you see the stars….”
Dr. Martin Luther King – I’ve Been to the Mountaintop (Full audio)
If we are to have a vision for the future of energy – it should be global abundance – not American ‘independence from foreign oil’. American […]
Research Notes - 2/6/07 WiMax, nanowires, bio news, sulphur free fuels
WiMax patents, web-based apps, embedded devices, integrated optical chips, nanowires, telescopic nanotubes, rapid DNA sequencing, nanoparticles delivery, bio-sensors, sea urchin genome sequencing, outsourcing manufacturing to E.coli, nanocatalyst grants, sulphur free fuels, flexible OLEDs…
Research Notes - 2/3/07 Bio energy, H2 storage, nano mechanics, mesh networks
Bio-energy (protein electron transfer), Purdue’s biomass energy appliance, solid hydrogen storage, rapid nanotube assessment, ‘ultimate microscope’, nano ‘rachet’, microfluidics, bio-computing, nanoparticle coatings, RFIDs, mesh networks, India’s R&D workforce, micro-payments…
Research notes - 2/1/07 Nano-optics; CMR Fuel cell; bio energy
…organic compounds for optical devices, Zinc oxide nanowires, CMR (UK) ready to ‘inkjet’ print fuel cell membranes, DMFCs, biological energy solutions, bio-encapsulation
Research notes - 1/31/07 Fuel cell membranes, LEDs, wet/dry nano
…nanoparticles for concrete production & climate change, PolyFuel’s new Board member, Japanese fuel cell breakthrough, Princeton University’s new fuel cell flow systems (!!!), cheaper catalysts, blue laser diodes, nano wet/dry interface..
Research notes - January 30th OLEDs, energy, bio
(Older post from Jan 30, 2007)
Time to make this blog an open book on my thinking– rather than wait and gather my thoughts into stories– I am going to include some of my scanning results each day so you can see the ingredients that go into my forecasts…
Top energy related breakthroughs (2005 - 2006)
(Reposted from older version of my blog… 1/07)
Even though the media might emphasize a ‘crisis’ mode when it comes to the future of energy - innovation continues. And despite our geopolitical challenges - there is a lot to be thankful about when it comes to our ability to innovate around fundamental research […]
Could Walmart Beat Big Oil? The Future of Energy Packets
Could the ‘next big thing’ in energy be micro-packets’ and power producing appliances sold on retail shelves?
In fifty years what ideas in the energy industry will be seen as revolutionary? Efforts to end our dependency on oil - or providing billions of people with access to electricity? Which of these ideas could […]
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