PV Gap

Joan Said:

Is it good to invest money in buying stocks in Hybrid and other alternative technologies?

We Answered:

It depends upon the price you need to pay to invest in these technologies. To provide an example, had you purchased RCA at its peak in 1929, over its entire lifetime from that point until it was acquired by Bertlesman, it never reached more than 50% of its 1929 price. As the future would work out, television was bigger than anyone believed and RCA made more money than anyone thought possible. However, at its peak, the price was so high that there is no way RCA could ever have made enough money to meet the requirements that price produced. Just as when Yahoo! was at 230 per share. At that price, Yahoo! would have had to have been the sole source of advertising nation wide, forever, and advertising rates would have had to climb at their historical rates and Yahoo!'s margins could not have fell.

Price is everything.

Kristina Said:

will majoring in biomedical engineering still allow me to work on alternative energy technologies?

We Answered:

It's generally a mistake to take Biomedical Engineering at the undergrad level. There aren't enough jobs at the Bachelor's level, and many Biomed Engng grads have to take jobs for which they are not optimally suited.

Better you take good basic Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering (or Engineering Physics) in undergrad, then do the Green/BioMed stuff in grad school.

Clayton Said:

Alternative Energy Technologies?

We Answered:

Getting a degree in alternative energy is going to be worth it. The new Farm Bill is establishing billions of dollars of guaranteed loans for ethanol plants. They are going to need specialists in these fields.

James Said:

Why have alternative energy storage technologies been developed?

We Answered:

Occasionally we need a load of extra power - e.g. when everyone turns on the kettle at half time during a football match. With energy storage systems, it's possible to store some energy and release it at exactly the time it is needed, and to stop releasing it when it isn't needed anymore. If we didn't do this, we'd have to run an extra power station all the time "just in case" there was a sudden demand. If you don't provide enough electricity when there is a sudden demand, then the electricity literally runs out, and all the lights etc. switch off.


Things like dinorwig in wales (pumped storage system) http://www.fhc.co.uk/dinorwig.htm have been developed so that they can provide extra energy when there is a sudden demand.

Vickie Said:

we already have alternative energy technologies why not invest more in those than more oil drilling?

We Answered:

One problem is not just alternative fuels, but rather the infrastructure.

In English, the industry is dependent upon oil and gas, and to just switch over to recycled kitchen grease and genetically engineered algae isn't as easy as it looks. They need to set up these industries first and phase out fossil fuels. And this takes time.

One could also say conspiracy to keep the oil countries rich.

And both would be correct.

Victoria Said:

Should alternative energy technologies be in the public domain?

We Answered:

what do you mean?
It's possible to build solar panels. The technology to do that exists, and you can also rewire existing ones. That tech IS in the public domain already. Google on it.

Penny Said:

I'm an MBA student interested in marketing alternative energy technology, where are the jobs?

We Answered:

I'm a current Kellogg student and am facing a similar issue. Just a few findings - there are organizations that are helping increase the adoption and the utilization of renewable energy, such as CommunityEnergy. However, a colleague of mine suggested that if you want to really see work on alternative energy, join a large energy company and work in the renewable energy group. I believe your best bet will be in Texas, particularly Houston. If you're looking for international developments, look at operations in SE Asia. I hope that helps.