Climate Change
The purpose of this page is to record notes about entrepreneurship and innovation that pertain to climate change.
Jim Baker's article was an inspiration (https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-conservative-answer-to-climate-change-1486512334?mod=e2fb). Note: a pdf if in: e:\mcnair\projects\ClimateChange
Contents
Ideas
Measuring Innovation:
- Carbon credit prices (from Cap and Trade) exchange reflect degree of innovation. California as an example.
- Rise in alternative fuels?
- Measures of energy production over time by source?
Possible avenues:
- VC in energy efficiency/alternative fuels/green energy
- Patents on CO2 scrubbing
- IPOs of thses companies
Programs to Explore
Initiatives by Tech Giants
- Apple Plans Nevada Solar Farm in Clean Energy Push: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227271
- Tesla buys Solarcity for $2b: https://www.tesla.com/blog/tesla-and-solarcity
- Google runs 100% on clean energy in 2017: https://blog.google/topics/environment/100-percent-renewable-energy/
- Question: Do Google build clean energy cogen plants next to their data centers?
Government Labs
National Renewable Energy Laboratory has some entrepreneurship programs (https://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/entrepreneurship.html) These include:
- Lab-Corps (they participate - DOE runs the program)
- NREL Commercialization Assistance Program - Provides free assistance to help emerging renewable energy and energy efficiency companies overcome technical barriers to commercialization.
- Procurement opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses
They also partner with the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator...
Lab Corps
The following is taken from the Lab-Corps website (https://energy.gov/eere/technology-to-market/lab-corps) DOE’s Lab-Corps program is a specialized training curriculum aimed at accelerating the transfer of clean energy technologies from national laboratories into the commercial marketplace. The training provides an entrepreneurial education to national laboratory researchers and connects them to potential customers and industry partners, helping to close the knowledge gap between researchers and the marketplace. As part of Technology-to-Market’s Lab Impact portfolio, DOE’s Lab-Corps focuses on fostering collaboration between the national laboratories and the private sector. Built on the validated National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) Model, the two-month program provides scientists with a better understanding of the commercialization process. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) manages the program and supports teams from other national laboratories, including:
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratories
With the fourth class of participants graduating in December 2016, more than 50 teams have undergone DOE Lab-Corps' rigorous entrepreneurial training. The program continues to expand, adding more national labs and DOE offices with each class. Lab-Corps alumni from our first four classes have gone on to meet with representatives from major retailers and secure over $8 million in follow-on funding, with four registered start-ups so far and more on the way.
Links to Other Sources
https://www.carboncreditcapital.com/
- Private firm that sells carbon credits to individuals and businesses for offsetting their costs
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-private-sector-vows-to-ante-up-on-climate-finance-2015-7
- Article on American Business Act on Climate Pledge which will inject roughly $140 in low-carbon investments and sets individual goals for each company that joined.
- Another article on the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, total of 72 companies pledged. Act specifically supported the Obama Administration so may be a mute point.
- Statistics on cap and trade of Carbon rights in California, including a useful graph on decreasing carbon prices, hinting at innovation.
- Identifies Lab Corps centers and discusses the program for accelerating climate change research
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/workstreams/nairobi_work_programme/items/6547.php
- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Private Sector Initiative, which lists private businesses across the investing in sustainable and profitable action in areas vulnerable to climate change
https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/06/07/gm-us-companies-lead-way-corporate-carbon-offsets
- Discusses the Breakthrough Energy Coalition by Bill Gates and co., and the types of companies these founders invest in.
https://www.carbontax.org/where-carbon-is-taxed/
- International map of implemented or planned Carbon tax programs, including multiple ones in the same country (such as the US)
