Tech Futures

Water and Energy

2008-02-15T17:19:31Z

Ask most people about the connection between water and energy and at best you’ll get a reference to hydropower generation. But the connection between water use and energy extends well beyond the use of water to generate power–the ways we use water are some of of the largest energy consuming activities there are. A recent article on CNNMoney highlights the connection:

“Power generation takes water. Pumping water takes power. As the nation struggles to meet electricity demand - expected to surge 50% in the next 30 years - big sections of the country are suffering from drought conditions.

“We’re going to have both water and power shortages, maybe in areas where we aren’t used to them,” said Peter Gleick, President of the Pacific Institute, an environmental research organization. “Atlanta in the last few years is a good example of that.”

“Most people don’t realize how closely power and water are linked.

“In California, the water pumps that keep the Los Angeles area hydrated are the single largest users of power in the state, according to Gleick. Running a hot water faucet there for five minutes uses as much energy as keeping a 60-watt light bulb on for 14 hours, he said.

“Gleick said that California could achieve 95% of its energy conservation goals 58% more cheaply by targeting water consumption rather than power consumption.

“‘Water and energy are tightly linked, but these links are poorly understood and rarely used in policy,’ he said.”

Gleick is no Johnny-come-lately to water issues. A 2003 MacArthur Fellow in freshwater issues, he was the first person GBN referred us to when we said we were exploring the fesibility of a fresh water institute on Lake Erie. Energy and water are intimately connected in ways that will affect our region for decades to come. Click here to read the rest of the CNNMoney article. To learn more about Peter Gleick and the Pacfic Institute, click here.

Biofuels and the Law of Unintended Consequences

2008-02-11T09:10:36Z

Up until now most of the debate about biofuels has centered on the inefficiencies of corn-based ethanol vs. the promise of biobutanol and cellulosic ethanol. As reported in the New York Times, however, two recent studies indicate that biofuel production in and of itself is more harmful to the environment than conventional fossil fuels:

“Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these ‘green’ fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded.

“These studies for the first time take a detailed, comprehensive look at the emissions effects of the huge amount of natural land that is being converted to cropland globally to support biofuels development.

“The destruction of natural ecosystems — whether rain forest in the tropics or grasslands in South America — not only releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when they are burned and plowed, but also deprives the planet of natural sponges to absorb carbon emissions. Cropland also absorbs far less carbon than the rain forests or even scrubland that it replaces.

“Together the two studies offer sweeping conclusions: It does not matter if it is rain forest or scrubland that is cleared, the greenhouse gas contribution is significant. More important, they discovered that, taken globally, the production of almost all biofuels resulted, directly or indirectly, intentionally or not, in new lands being cleared, either for food or fuel.”

You can read the full article here. This is by no means a justification of continuing our dependence on oil. But in the rush to develop alternatives it is good to remember that sometimes technology bites back, and that the most direct and immediate solution may not, in the long run, prove the most appropriate choice.

NorTech Releases High Tech Sector Report

2008-02-08T09:11:09Z

Earlier this week NorTech released a report that analyzes and monitors emerging trends in Northeast Ohio’s high tech sector between 2004 and 2006. Major findings from the report indicate that the high-tech sector in Northeast Ohio began to experience some gains between 2004 and 2006 after several years of decline…….

Shift Happens: Blue Collar to Green Collar Jobs in Ohio

2008-02-07T09:03:36Z

From the Columbus Dispatch:

You’ve heard the numbers: Ohio has lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs so far this decade.

But state officials say many of those could be replaced by 2030 if Ohio’s manufacturing strength can be tapped in the cause of renewable energy.

“This is one of our best bets, particularly on the manufacturing side,” said Mark Barbash, chief economic-development officer for the state Department of Development.

“It also offers the opportunity for additional research and development jobs.”

You can read the rest of the story here, courtesy of Crain’s.

Like we said, Shift Happens. But it might be Generation Q that makes it happen…what do you think?

More on Innovation in Manufacturing

2008-02-06T12:10:26Z

Timing is everything, it seems, and right on the heels of our last post comes this from Energy Central News:

“When 1,800 workers lost their jobs after a Maytag appliance factory and headquarters closed last year in the small town of Newton, Iowa, a wind-turbine-blade company saw opportunity — an available, skilled work force in the middle of one of America’s hardiest wind energy production regions.

“TPI Composites Inc. is building a new plant there as the energy industry aims for a cleaner, more sustainable future. With proper incentives, thousands of “green-collar jobs” could be created, from ethanol production to wind turbines and solar panels, and all the maintenance and construction to support them, industry officials said.

“TPI used to build boats, but switched to turbines in 2001 for the “major growth opportunity,” said Steve Lockard, chief executive officer of the company, based in Phoenix. The idea, he said, is to “transform the work force away from the Maytag-type jobs of the past into jobs that can withstand the test of time going forward.”

“However, advocates and executives say training is key to making sure the industry has enough skilled workers to make it into a real economic engine and are pushing for more lucrative tax breaks, much like oil companies already receive, to make it profitable.”

The rest of the article is onmy available to registered users, but the implications for Northeast Ohio should be clear–as we move ahead with the offshore feasibility study, we already know we have a strong wind manufacturing components industry here. Maybe it’s time to ramp up our efforts to establish Northeast Ohio as a major wind manufacturing center, from components through finished products.

Manufacturing Innovation

2008-02-04T13:26:54Z

Two of Northeast Ohio’s major economic development organizations, NorTech, the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition, and MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network are working together on a program designed to stimulate innovation and growth in the region’s small and midsize manufacturing companies.

Called the Innovation Accelerator, the program seeks to engage manufacturers looking to grow their business by adding new products and services, leveraging ideas from employees, vendors, customers and competitors and exploring new technologies capable of making their products stronger and more effective.

On February 7, the Innovation Accelerator will be holding a launch program at the DoubleTree Hotel in Independence, OH. Click here to learn more and to register for this event.

Caught In The Middle

2008-01-31T09:39:55Z

My thanks to Jim Russell over at Burgh Diasporah for turning me on to Richard Longworth’s new book, Caught In The Middle. While I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing yet, I did take the shortcut through the index to find out what Longworth had to say about Cleveland.

A couple of excerpts should whet your appetite for what appears to be an extremely trenchant assessment of our region’s struggle to regain its footing in the age of globalism:

“A century ago, Cleveland was one of the three or four richest cities in America, the home of the Rockefellers, an industrial powerhouse….Euclid Avenue once ranked with Fifth Avenue in New York as the most elegant street in the country: when the Rockefellers and the Hannas lived there, it was known as Millionaire’s Row. Cleveland used to be the fifth-biggest American city; now it’s thirty ninth….

“What happened? ‘We stopped innovating,’ Ronn Richard, the president of The Cleveland Foundation told me. ‘We missed the IT revolution. We missed it because we were so fat, dumb and happy with our prowess in heavy manufacturing.’ …

Longworth continues: “In all my travels through the Midwest, Cleveland was the only place, big or small, that seemed heedless of the global challenge. Only 4 percent of its population is foreign-born, in an era that demands new blood; the city government isn’t sure it wants more. One of its leading economists told me, ‘You can’t kill manufacturing–that’s stupid,’ but manufacturing is fleeing and cities need new ways to support themselves. In an era of global connectivity, only one non-stop per day, to England, links Cleveland to the world. The first-rate Cleveland Clinic is expanding, but every Midwestern city is building up its health industry: few expect it to carry the city’s economy.”

And that, dear readers, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course it isn’t all doom and gloom, but it does highlight a key missing element in our economic development efforts: no matter how much money and effort we pour into healthcare, IT, advanced energy, materials and new approaches to manufacturing–all necessary but none sufficient components for success–so long as we ignore the need to attract more immigrants to the region (does the name Richard Herman ring a bell anyone?), so long as we try to shut out the realities of what it means to be a player in the *global* marketplace, we will always find ourselves caught in the middle and just muddling through.

Will Power Laws Determine the Winners in Wind Power?

2008-01-30T09:50:08Z

From the American Wind Energy Association:

“Shattering all its previous records, the

U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 MW in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45% in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of over $9 billion into the economy, according to an AWEA market report. This is the third consecutive year of record-setting growth, establishing wind power as one of the largest sources of new electricity supply for the country. The new wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007. The U.S. wind power fleet now numbers 16,818 MW and spans 34 states.”

The State of Entrepreneurship in America

2008-01-30T09:45:14Z

From the Kauffman Foundation comes a fascinating new study on entrpreneurial activity in the US, highlighting the surge in immigrant entrepreneurship activity. “The rate of entrepreneurial activity among women dropped sharply in 2007 while the activity rate among men and immigrants surged, according to a national assessment of entrepreneurial activity by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

“According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, the only annual study to measure business startup activity for the entire United States adult population at the individual owner level, 495,000 new businesses per month were started in 2007 with 0.30 percent of the adult population (or 300 out of 100,000 adults) involved in the startup process. This entrepreneurial activity rate is a slight increase over the 2006 rate of 0.29 percent.”

Click here to download the complete report.

Venture Capital on the Rise in Cleveland Plus Region

2008-01-29T10:50:22Z

Last year the NorTech Venture Capital Advisory Task Force reported in its inaugural 2006 Venture Capital Report that the region would need to generate and attract over $1.2 billion in venture capital by 2011 in order to meet the capital needs of companies located in Northeast Ohio.

According to the findings from the recently completed 2007 Venture Capital Report of the Cleveland+ region, to be released in print mid February, Northeast Ohio has made significant progress toward reaching this goal. With $318 million in new investments, compared to $157 million in 2006, the region saw a doubling in the amount of capital invested into its growing companies as well as a 40 percent increase in the total number of investments made during 2007.

Click here for more information.