Innovation Summit Statements

-
I recently attended the Sierra Business Council's (SBC) 2011 Sierra Innovation Summit and was impressed with the content of the event, which addressed the current economic landscape of the Sierra and innovation-based tools for sustainable economic growth.  If you haven’t been to an SBC event, I suggest that you bookmark their website and keep an eye out for the next gathering of leaders.  Key speakers included Ari Derfel of Slow Money, an organization that aims to catalyze investment in local food systems, Bill Feyling of the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, and Glenda Humiston – California Director of Rural Development, US Department of Agriculture to name a few.    While there were many important topics, a few statements caught my attention during the presentations.

What are you thoughts on the following:

  • How will our generation change to adjust to today’s conditions?

  • Focus on opportunities and solutions

  • Communities capitalizing on existing assets

  • Long-term Capital

  • The need for self-sustaining communities

  • Students outnumbering available jobs

I believe that each topic is equally important, so please note that the topic are in no particular order other than how they ended up in my notes.


~Michael

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sources for Solar Jobs and News

-
Image
Career Planning Green Jobs Network IREC Solar Career Map  - A great tool to help you map out your career path. Solar Energy Careers Don't discount the opportunities that Craigslist and other local community sites offer.  Oftentimes, young start-ups will rely on those sites because they're free.  Think of it this way, money saved on advertisement is money that can go to new solar employees.  Go to the jobs section and filter for "solar". Training Solar Training Network Industry News Plain and simple... If you want to be a part of the industry, you have to keep up with the industry. Get informed, but be careful with information overload...unless you're an info junkie like me :) Clean Technica Energy.gov Greentech Media - Solar  (lots of other renewables on this site) IREC PV Magazine Renewable Energy World Solar Industry Magazine Solar Energy Industries Association: SEIA and the GUNTHER Portfolio has a whole slew of links, especially for those o
Read more

Floating Solar Panels

-
Image
One of my students brought in an article that described floating solar panels.  The idea was to use water areas that won't intrude on the surrounding area but rather take advantage of already modified human space. PV panels have negative thermal drift.  In other words, they lose efficiency when the temperature increases.  So having access to an immediate source for cooling does wonders for the panel efficiency. The article featured a company called Solaris Syndergy , but was dated last year.   So I decided to take a look to see how far the innovation has come.   Looking into their product, I realized that they solution is centered around CSP.  However, I was able to find another company that uses reflectors and PV panels. Check out Scienza Industria Technologia ! The FTCC System. Image from http://www.scintec.it and while we're on the water, why not submerge it! Submerged Photovoltaic Solar Panel Any scuba divers wanting to cross careers with photovoltaics?  I call
Read more

Pay Attention To Your Industry

-
When I was in telecommunications, there was nothing more fascinating than being part of cutting edge technology.  Part of the enjoyment while in the industry is being able to watch your industry to not only evolve, but to also be a major influence in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  But that psychological theory was never a prominent thought in my own mind as I watched the progression of technology in the wireless industry slowly choke out the workforce that supported it. While working in a switching office between late '98 and early 2000, I recall the size of the switch rooms and the many rows of equipment required to provide communications to mobile subscribers.  Jump ahead 10 years and you'll find that technology has either eliminated that switching office or reduced the equipment down to a single box.  Less equipment, less headcount. I recently sat down with a very good friend of mine who was with me in the industry from the beginning of our careers in telecommunicatio
Read more