R.E.preneur

R.E.preneur in Semi-Finals for Sundance Channel The Green's "What's The Big Idea Contest"

It all started with a class I didn't need to take. 

I had been working with my entrepreneurship team throughout the fall semester on a solar power project development business plan. Under the name, Renewabuilt Energy, we were targeting rural electric cooperatives who were mandated to meet the same Renewable Energy Standards as the larger Investor Owned Utilities but lacked the human and financial resources to develop their own projects.

We had done a lot of great work.  But something was missing.  We had strong community support.  We had a suitable piece of land for a pilot project.  We were solving multiple problems for multiple parties.  We were creating value.  But something was missing. 

In January, as I was finishing registration for the final semester of my college career, I realized that I needed one single unit of any course that was not offered by the business college.  I could take photography, golf, Latin America on film, underwater basketweaving, whatever I wanted. 

I chose to take AME 445: Renewable Energy Systems.  After meeting with the professor he agreed to let me take the online class as independent study. 

Then, with graduation, job search, engagement and wedding planning, the class got pushed to the back burner on my priority list. 

The Renewabuilt Team had been charging hard since August and at the beginning of April, the McGuire Entrepreneurship program held their culminating events: a tradeshow on U of A's Innovation Day, and the McGuire Business Plan competition. 

Once that was finished, I finally had some time to sit down and think about what it was that was missing from our plan that.  What was it that would give the idea that extra push to interest investors and consumers.  What we needed was more innovation. 

About that time, I realized that I had done almost zero work for AME 445 and that there was a large end of the semester project due in a few weeks and I was in the dark about what to do. 

This is when I began developing the ideas behind community-based solar power.  In a way, its a pure-play renewable energy cooperative. 

The idea is that owning a solar photovoltaic system on your home is expensive and inefficient.  You can't utilize concentrating or tracking technologies.  Permitting, Design, Construction, etc is all very expensive when its being done custom for every residential system. 

When you move, you can't take it with you.  If you produce more power than your home consumes at any given moment, you are only reimbursed wholesale or at best retail prices, which do not reflect the cost of generating electricity through the sun. 

But what if you could own a piece of a multi-megawatt utility-scale installation.  Economies of scale and advanced technologies could lower the cost of that multi-kilowatt system drastically.  Lowering the payback period, increasing the internal rate of return to the consumer. 

Current utility-scale solar power plants sell their electricity to utilities somewhere usually in the 12-25 cent range, above current retail rates of between 8-14 cents per kWh.  The reason is because the utilities are mandated to meet their state's Renewable Energy Standards (RES) and solar is often a good match compared with the unpredictability of wind power.

Each month the plant would produce X number of kWh that would be sold to the utility.  The number of kWh would be split up by the various owners of the plant and a check would be sent for the proportionate amount to each owner.  Your relationship with your utility would go largely unchanged.  An investor would be able to power their home with 100% renewable energy at an affordable price. 

That's the Big Idea. 

If you'd like to support R.E.preneur's Big Idea, you can go to The Sundance Channel's Big Idea Contest and vote once daily between now and June 24th.  There are 25 semi-finalists and the finals will include the top 5. 

Leverage Your Personality In Your RE Career

Kyle is an ENFP, The Inspirer.

The MyType Application for Facebook users, utilizing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator labeled me as an ENFP, an Inspirer. I think that it is very accurate. It is probably why I love blogging, its an attempt to inspire.  I think it works, sometimes.



If you haven't taken an MBTI test recently, I would encourage everyone to do so.  Its a great way to learn much about yourself and others. Its only 72 True/False questions and doesn't take long at all.

Go to the MyType Application in order to add it to your Facebook account and see how you relate to your friends and coworkers. 

REpreneur Debates: America's Environmental Consciousness

As part of REpreneur's posts entitled REpreneur Debates, this post is a result of Kyle's comment on the Green Options Blog: Red, Green, and Blue.

A few months ago I began reading the Red, Green, and Blue blog focusing on the politics of environmentalism (and those who feign environmentalism).  I found this post from Jennifer Lance describing how America had "supposedly not budged an inch on their environmental views in the last dozen years.  I chose to disagree. Study the picture below of a Gallup Poll describing the environmental sentiments of Americans that has been taken each year for the last 19 years.

While I acknowledge that the numbers have changed little since their first recording, the graph shows some interesting trends that I believe were misconstrued here.

First, you have the steady decline of the drastic action trendline from ‘96 to ‘03. Paired with the simultaneous steady incline of the “Don’t do any extra” trendline. I believe these can be attributed to the extended disappearance of 1970’s activism and environmentalism.

Furthermore, the trends displayed post-2000 are a result of the harsh language and utter failure to address the issue of global warming used by the embarrassment that is the Bush Administration.

However, after the declines up to that point, Al Gore as well as corporate leaders acknowledged the issue, U.S. environmentalism shot up and we have made huge gains in the last five years.

I foresee this trend continuing, green will not be a fad, it will be mandatory. Those companies who implement the highest standards of green and whom display leadership will increase their brand values tremendously. Corporations who fail at this, will cease to exist without radical overhaul of their business.

REpreneur Debates: Why Germany Raised Their Wind Feed-In Tariff

Last Thursday, Glen Estill blogged about the effect that Germany will have on the Ontario Standard Offer Program (SOP) by raising their Feed-In Tariff (FiT) for wind and to a greater extent, off-shore wind.

My feelings on the issue followed --

From His Post:

"They know what it costs to produce electricity from wind, so when they deem it necessary to increase the price, you know it is needed."

  I'm going to have to disagree with this statement.  Germany announced this move last year due to the wildly successful implementation of solar power in their country.  The government recognized that the funds they had set aside (at least from the utilities) for use in support of renewables had achieved their solar goals far in advance of the plan because they set the FiT for PV extremely high, the highest in the world. 

After achieving their solar target ahead of schedule, they transferred money and effort to the wind and specifically off-shore wind because they recognize that off-shore wind is still an emerging market that Germany, with investment, can become a world leader in this field in the same way that they did with PV.  This is in contrast to the on-shore wind industry which has already gone through the consolidation stage and is already accepted in the industry as competitive with fossil fuels. 

Which brings me to my next point.  You state that they raised the off-shore wind FiT because they recognize that costs are higher.  But you also stated that fossil-based energy sources have experienced a never before seen run-up in prices across the board.  So wouldn't that mean that wind would be even more competitive without subsidies?

Finally, I disagree with the policy of providing higher FiTs to wind developments in less-than optimal wind sites.  That's like giving SUV buyers a bigger tax break because they get poor fuel economy, its idiotic.  Unless there is some legitimate reason not to develop all of the optimal wind sites, these should be developed first and supported by adequate transmission.  This should be relatively easy in Germany because all of the off-shore wind is located in one general geographic region. 

I wholeheartedly support all of the policies that Germany has implemented that have accelerated the growth of renewable energies nearly across the board.  I just think the reason that they increased the FiT for off-shore wind had less to do with what you argued and more to do with their success in PV and desire to be a global leader in off-shore wind.

Want A Career In Solar? Start Here

So you say you want a career in the solar industry?  Makes sense. 

The entire industry is exploding, and its still tiny.  The roadmap to solar being the dominant energy source of the future is clear. 

But you can't just sit back and watch, you gotta join in. 

START HERE:     Solar America Cities First Annual Meeting Presentations

This link will take you to a page containing ALL of the powerpoint presentations given at the Solar America Cities First Annual Meeting in Tucson, Arizona held April 14-16, 2008.  These meetings were not open to the public, invitation only. 

However, the ideas, research, experiments, case studies etc. exchanged at this meeting may be the most comprehensive, up-to-date education in the business, legislative, and technology developments that are driving the rapid expansion of the solar industry here in the US. 

The successes and failures of the programs implemented by the movers & shakers of the solar industry at this conference are paving the way for the emergence of solar power as the mainstream, preferred energy source for power generation. 

So you want a job in Solar... Start Here!  Download all of the free presentations, and spend some time reading through them.

Not an engineer? Not necessary, I'm not, though it does help sometimes. 

If you want to work in the industry, you must speak the language.  It takes time, study, research, and lots of reading.  But the concepts are not incredibly complicated. 

Your ability to speak the language of solar will allow you to converse in a passionate discussion of the industry that nearly all solar professionals share. 

Recent reports have revealed that the industry is growing faster than the industry's ability to find and train experienced executives to handle projects of significant responsibility.  There is a growing shortage of talent in the industry.  Now is your time.

I'm so passionate about this industry that I will agree to provide a consulting and education dialog of the solar industry free of charge to the first three individuals who:

•    Download All of the Powerpoints
•    Research terms and abbreviations they are not familiar with
•    Email me or leave a comment on this post expressing an interest in working in the industry, would like insight, tips, advice, and clarification of the industry environment

So you say you want to work in solar?  What's stopping you now?

REpreneur Vents: Green Skeptics & McCantonomics

Green Skeptics
Have you heard a Green Skeptic lately?  Although they are becoming an endangered species, it still astonishes me when I hear people start spouting about how this is all just a fad that will blow over soon.

To cure this disease, send your most vocal skeptic the United Nations Report that in 2007 "global investment flows into renewable energy companies reached $100 billion."  The report establishes RE as no longer a fringe investment or industry. RE is a mainstream legitimate industry with attractive investment opportunities.  Any investor not paying attention, is missing out.

Then tell them to enjoy paying $6 per gallon in their Suburban Assault Vehicle when crude oil hits $200/barrel between six and twenty-four months from now.

You really have to laugh when Senator McCain proposes a gas tax relief plan to save us of 18 cents per gallon for three months.  Apparently, Economics 200 was not a required course at the Naval Academy in 1958. 

Thanks John, I'll take that $30 and donate it to Barack Obama's campaign for President of the United States of America.

Oh wait, I just remembered that McCain doesn't have the clout, energy, or authority to pass such ludicrous legislation that panders to the uneducated.  Looks like McCain's 26 years in Congress really taught him a lot about how to create real positive change. 

The man has been in Washington D.C. longer than I've been alive and these are the type of solutions he authors and stands firmly in support of?  No thanks, John.  I'm voting for Barack Obama.

 

REpreneur Vents!

Pangea Day - See The World Through Another's Eyes

Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future.



Can we change the world in 4 hours?

Comfortable with Failure?

In less than 48 hours, my undergraduate college career will be over.  I currently have no plans to go on to further formal education, although it is by no means out of the question. 

This year, I completed my school work, but often put it beneath pursuing personal passions on the priority list.  The entrepreneurship program allowed me to pursue passions along with school work.  Anytime you  blend personal passions with assigned learning, I believe great things can occur.  I have appreciated any latitude that my class projects have allowed me. 

Something interesting happened in my senior year.

I began pursuing nearly every decent idea that came to mind.  Off the top of my head, these included:

* Writing a business plan and attempting to launch a solar project development company

* Applying to many "dream" jobs I was somewhat under-qualified for

* Filming and releasing a documentary evaluating sustainability on a University campus

* Applying for a scholarship to a week-long seminar on Free-market Environmentalism

* Applying for the Eller College of Management Thinking Forward Marketing Scholarship

* Applied as student convocation speaker for the Eller College of Management 2008

When I look back and evaluate the list I can only conclude that by and large, I have failed. 

* While I believe the business plan was critical to my entrepreneurship education, we identified key skills and experience missing in the founding team and failed to attract enough gray hairs to fill in the gaps.

* Considering I am less than two weeks from graduation day and still have not accepted a job offer, no great successes here (more on this below)

* I worked hard to finish the documentary for an Earth Day showing, two hours before my deadline my computer had video data overload and I lost an entire interview that was completely edited and spliced into the film

* I was chosen as an "alternate" for the Enviropreneur Seminar and have not received notice that any space has opened up for me

* I was not selected to advance to the interview (second) round for the Thinking Forward Award

* I was not selected to advance to the final round of three potential student convocation speakers

Through all of this, I have internalized a few thoughts on failure:

Hall of Fame hitters only get a hit 3 out of 10 times at the plate

"Failure is the only opportunity to begin again more intelligently." - Henry Ford

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4

To a degree, I have become comfortable with failure.

So what am I doing with all of this failure?

* The failed Renewabuilt Energy business plan provided an invaluable renewable energy project development and entrepreneurship education and I see it as the launching pad of my career in the RE industry. 

* Though I currently am still searching for a position in RE, I am confident that I will find a place with a company that is aligned with my passion for RE and also provides ample entrepreneurial opportunity. 

* The only deadline for my film was self-imposed, and though I feel that the timing is not perfect, I still plan on completing the project and releasing it to the University of Arizona community, as well as making it available through YouTube and here on REpreneur.

* Though I will not spend a free week in Bozeman, MT this summer, even being introduced to the concepts of free-market environmentalism has expanded my outlook in this area and I fully expect to study the field further at some point int he future.

* My posting of my Thinking Forward essay became one of the most viewed posts on my blog I believe in large part to the large number of Eller students who found the post in a note on my Facebook page.  If any lesson can be gleaned from this, it must be the importance of having a champion inside the organization you are selling yourself or your company to.  When listing a faculty member who sponsored my application, I chose my good friend and McGuire Entrepreneurship Mentor Jim Jindrick, as opposed to someone within the marketing department who may have been more involved in picking the finalists. 

* My convocation speech was a bit controversial.  I basically ignored all of the directions for writing the speech.  In my draft that I presented to the committee I did not congratulate the graduates (minor oversight).  Still, I think the speech is great.  I lay out a clear challenge to my fellow graduates that unifies us and keeps us looking forward.  I am considering publishing the text or more likely a video of my presentation of the speech here on the blog. 

In my study of entrepreneurs, it is clear that they do not accept failure well.  Although the failures that I have experienced recently have relatively low costs associated with them, I hope that these experience will help prepare me in future endeavors.  When faced with failure, I hope that one day I will be described as someone who does not surrender to failure with ease.