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When creating a new product, there are so many things that can go wrong (many of which cannot be prepared for or are completely unexpected), so it only makes sense to use existing technology or ideas in your product to increase reliability.

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Filed under: Alphonse Anderson | Ann Arbor, MI | Charles King | Competing Globally | Financing | Innovation | Renewable Energy | Start-Ups | Velocity² Wind | Wind Power

When talking to Alphonse Anderson and Charles King of Velocity² Wind I found that one of the most interesting parts of their process to create a new product of small wind turbine was how much of their product was, essentially, theirs. King said, "we try to re-invent as little as possible. Use what's out there."

What is "out there" for small wind turbines? Again, King: "We've found ourselves taking ideas from aerospace to roller coasters." Roller coasters? Sure, the aerospace industry can easily offer some design ideas to small wind turbines, but the thought to look into how roller coasters are built (presumably regarding their light-weight structure; they wouldn't comment) is marvelous.

It turns out that Anderson and King have tapped in to a historically successful business plan: don't re-invent the wheel. When creating a new product, there are so many things that can go wrong (many of which cannot be prepared for or are completely unexpected), so it only makes sense to use existing technology or ideas in your product to increase reliability.

I posed this question to Alphonse Anderson and Charles King of Velocity² Wind: "what are some of the first things you should do when you first have an idea for a new business?"

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Filed under: Alphonse Anderson | Ann Arbor, MI | Charles King | Competing Globally | Financing | Innovation | Renewable Energy | Start-Ups | Wind Power

I posed this question to Alphonse Anderson and Charles King of Velocity² Wind: "what are some of the first things you should do when you first have an idea for a new business?"

King told me that it's necessary to make sure that the idea is original. He said to use "Google Patents and research databases of universities to look for Phd. topics" and to find where technology is now. There's no sense in spending your time on a product for which you cannot get a patent or a service that is already being developed by another (presumably larger) company.

He said that "you must look at your personal network to find people who are willing to help you." This goes beyond asking freinds and family for money. When starting a new endeavor, you need to know who can be a part of your program, or even who knows somebody who can offer advice or a service. It's much more efficient to utilise your network rather than the yellow pages for your entrepreneurial needs.

King followed up by saying "If you believe that you have no connections, then you're not trying hard enough."

They have chosen to use alternative materials in building small wind turbines in an attempt to increase efficiency and decrease cost. With only a few tweaks of materials, Anderson and King have a real shot at breaking into the fledgling industry.

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Filed under: Alphonse Anderson | Ann Arbor, MI | Charles King | Competing Globally | Financing | Innovation | Renewable Energy | Start-Ups | The MORE Program | Velocity² Wind | Wind Power

Recently, I met with Alphonse Anderson and Charles King, founders of Velocity² Wind and participants in the MORE Program. They have chosen to use alternative materials in building small wind turbines in an attempt to increase efficiency and decrease cost. With only a few tweaks of materials, Anderson and King have a real shot at breaking into the fledgling industry.

The fledgling industry of small wind power, that is. Large-scale commerical-grade wind power is already a huge market, making up most of the 5.2 thousand Megawatts of wind power that was installed in the U.S. just last year. However, the small wind industry is still struggling to take flight, mostly due to the consumer worries of cost efficiency, noise, and visual impact. Oh, and safety issues, too (although there have been no 'innocent bystander' casualties due to wind power. The only casualties have been to workers installing and repairing the large-scale systems, and an unfortunate parachuting accident).

When King had the idea for using alternative materials for a wind turbine, he realized that the only way to properly approach his idea was to attempt it in small wind systems, whether or not it would work in large-scale wind. He remarked that trying to pitch his idea to the large-scale wind companies would be futile, but small wind was a good bet since no company has jumped out to be the leader.

Anderson and King have been working with prototypes of their design and comparing it to existing designs from competitors. So far, their tests have given them great results. Since they decided to enter an industry that has not yet solidified may very well allow them to break through to the surface soon.

Yes, ethanol can be very useful as fuel. It could reduce our consumption of gasoline. But corn ethanol isn't the answer. If we are to use biofuel, then we need to choose a more efficient type of ethanol.

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Filed under: Fuel Efficiency | Renewable Energy

It is becoming more and more obvious that we need to move away from oil as a major source of fuel. The problem is that we are obviously and pathetically hooked on it. Nearly every middle-class American has considered taking the car to the corner store as opposed to walking. Although it is great that we've found a way to reduce oil consumption in cars with biofuels, we need to make sure that we're making the right decisions.

Corn ethanol, the biofuel receiving the most support from the U.S. government, is a bad substitute for gas. In fact, corn ethanol provides not more than a 3% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, whereas sugar cane ethanol and celluslosic ethanol, respectively, provide a 50%-70% and more than 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. As it turns out, corn ethanol is not very 'green.'

Yes, ethanol can be very useful as fuel. It could reduce our consumption of gasoline. Experts agree that ethanol is energy efficient. But corn ethanol isn't the answer. If we are to use biofuel, then we need to choose a more efficient type of ethanol. However, we need to choose wisely because with the help of biofuels food prices are soaring. Biofuels should only be a means to an end, not a permanent solution. The only way to create a system that can last is to eliminate the use of oil.

Whether or not you believe in global warming, it's hard to deny the strain that fossil fuels have put on our planet. We need to change not only how we produce and consume energy, but also what types of energy we use.

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Filed under: Renewable Energy

Whether or not you believe in global warming, it's hard to deny the strain that fossil fuels have put on our planet. We need to change not only how we produce and consume energy, but also what types of energy we use.

Of course, this leads us to alternative energy. The only problem is that every type of alternative energy has its downside. Some of the most notable are: the radiation hazard of nuclear power, and the price and unpredictability of solar and wind power.

So we've come to the point where we need to choose which type of energy has the least amount of undesireable 'negatives.' I say that fossil fuels have the highest potential for problems; not only do they create tons of pollution, but we have allowed ourselves to be tied to this non-renewable resource. On the other hand, barring any unforeseen disastrous global climate emergencies, the sun and the wind are about as certain as death and taxes.

Whether it will be one hundred or one thousand years before we run out of oil, we need to embrace alternative energies now because it will take decades for us to ween ourselves from fossil fuels. Until we can rely on clean energies for most of our consumption, we must reduce our use of oil. This starts with improving biofuel technology so that we can produce it with clean energy without net energy loss. It starts with replacing the outdated power lines that cross the United States with new high-voltage lines that carry energy from wind farms to the cities that need it. It starts with hybrid-electic cars and hydrogen fuel cells.

There's no reliable way to tell how much oil the earth has left. And if we run out, then you can just about say good-bye to plastics, among other things. We need to start the process towards alternative energies now. This requires us to buy in to alternative energies and to reduce our oil consumption.

Fresh ideas will always shake up a market.

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Filed under: Automotive | ERT Systems, LLC | Innovation | Renewable Energy | Solar Power

There's also the auto industry. If we look at purely Hybrid-Electric Vehicles (HEV), we can see that the struggling Ford and GM have found hope in the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. Ford wanted to have the first Hybrid SUV; it has done just that, and has seen financial improvement. The Tahoe Hybrid increases gas efficiency from its non-hybrid counterpart by nearly 29%, and will probably sell extremely well to those who need a powerful SUV. HEV have shaken up the market among the big automakers themselves, and whichever automaker (be it Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, or other) makes the best-selling HEV will have a lot of power in the market.

Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) are even more interesting to examine. The new techology has allowed new companies to try to grab a piece of the multi-billion-dollar pie. Some of the most important companies that you have never heard of are Tesla Motors, Phoenix Motorcars, and the Lightning Car Company, all of whom are fighting with the likes of Chevrolet's Volt to bring their PHEV vehicles to the market first. It's been a long time since we've seen so many new car companies, and all it took was some innovation.

All these industries share the commonality that innovation in materials has brought change. Although the industies that they belong to had already been created, companies like ERT Systems and Phoenix Motorcars have a great chance to make a name for themselves. Fresh ideas will always shake up a market.

The bottom line is that John Ellis and Dennis Carmichael, the founders at ERT Systems, chose to approach the same problem from a different path, and it brought success.

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Filed under: ERT Systems, LLC | Innovation | Renewable Energy | Solar Power | Start-Ups

ERT Systems is an Ann-Arbor based company whose product is a wireless system that keeps track of firefighters in a blazing building. It's a helpful (and hopefully life-saving) invention, one that the Ann Arbor Fire Department plans to incorporate into its program soon. But enough about doing good for the world, what I want to look at is how it could make a lot of money.

ERT is not the first company to make a product like this one. However, ERT uses different materials than all the other companies, and so they have the easiest on-scene deployment on the market in the market.

The bottom line is that John Ellis and Dennis Carmichael, the founders at ERT Systems, chose to approach the same problem from a different path, and it brought success. As it turns out, using innovative techniques and materials to do the same thing is a good way to start a new business.

For example, take the solar panel industry. Right now, more than 90% of existing solar panels are made with silicon. Soliant Energy, the solar panel company I worked for last summer, was based upon a simple principle: use less silicon than everybody else. This new way of using the same materials was a great selling point for the company, and that's how we got investments.

There's also a new technology called CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) in the solar industry. By staying away from increasingly costly and hard-to-find silicon, companies such as HelioVolt are trying to build a successful future. CEO B.J. Stanberry said, "CIGS will have a significant portion of the market within 10 years." Using different materials than the other companies in the market may work very well for HelioVolt.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, Michigan is ranked 14th in the nation in potential capacity for wind power. The problem is that the AWEA also ranks Michigan 30th in the nation in existing wind power resources.

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Filed under: Renewable Energy | Wind Power

As far as renewable energy resources go, wind power is one of the easiest for us to incorporate into our system at the present time. We all know how the wind turns a propeller, and with only a little bit of physics we can all understand how a turbine can generate electricity. With the resources to build a turbine, all we need is a little bit of wind to give us energy.

Luckily, Michigan has the necessary amount of wind in the right places. Wind turbines can't be built everywhere: there's a buffer zone around urban areas and state parks. Also, there's a huge drop in productivity if they're built by high trees. However, according to the American Wind Energy Association, Michigan is ranked 14^th in the nation in potential capacity for wind power (in MW).

The problem is that the AWEA also ranks Michigan 30^th in the nation in existing wind power resources, with only 2.59 MW installed. And Illinois, ranked 16^th in potential power, produces 735.66 MW of wind power, more than 42 other states.

While it is a good thing that Michigan has more than 50 MW worth of wind turbines under construction, which will probably allow it to move up the rankings to #26 in the nation when completed, it's not enough. According to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, our state has a potential for development of 16,560 MW of wind power. With only 3.33% of potential wind power harnessed, there's room for improvement.