After all the belittling statements in my last post about pollution in Beijing and how the world is not learning from others, here is something nice I have to say about policies in the east. China has the largest solar park in the world, they are investing heavily in wind and solar farms. They invest much more than the US and Europe in renewables and it is predicted that China will be the world leader in renewables.
India is far behind the rest, but it has started investing in solar farms. States of Rajasthan and Gujurat have invested heavily in solar, the south of India is yet to wake up. India is also predicted to increase its spending on renewables in the next decade or so. So, yes, the east is doing some things right with respect to energy needs and trying to build sustainable solutions.
The word "Sustainability" is important today, but soon it is predicted to be the most important word used in business. A great guy called Moody has written a book called the "The sixth wave". The author says that human kind has gone through five waves of innovation and each wave was started by a technological innovation. The next innovation he claims will be around Sustainability and Resource efficiency.
The image below shows the waves of innovation in human history. As shown below, the 6th phase is forecast to be triggered by sustainability and increasing resource productivity.
Here are some examples he uses of innovation in business that promotes sustainability:
1> Resource efficiency by lower consumption:- Electrical utilities depend on high energy consumption for their profits. The more people use energy, the more the profits. But then, people don't need to buy energy, they don't really own it. So one business has moved from selling as much energy as possible to selling a service that makes sure consumers use as less energy as possible for the same level of comfort. This means the company is now making a profit by ensuring a quality of service provided to a customer rather than the volume of energy consumed (sold). So, as a consumer you will get energy 24 hrs a day, the house will be kept warm, but they will come to your house and check your roof, windows, devices etc so that you use energy optimally. For me that is a win-win situation.
2> Resource efficiency - One survey says that over 60% of cars stay parked for more than 16 hrs a day and people are tired of paying road tax, parking fees for hardly using the car. So one business has understood that people really don't need to own a car. They can share cars if there is a big enough pool of cars. It is like a taxi system, just that you drive around whenever you need it. Done deal!
I think the industry around "Have" vs "needs" - such as airbnb, fairshare taxis etc is also based on this concept. I am so looking forward to the sixth wave, hope it comes soon and hope it is a big wave to ride on!
India is far behind the rest, but it has started investing in solar farms. States of Rajasthan and Gujurat have invested heavily in solar, the south of India is yet to wake up. India is also predicted to increase its spending on renewables in the next decade or so. So, yes, the east is doing some things right with respect to energy needs and trying to build sustainable solutions.
The word "Sustainability" is important today, but soon it is predicted to be the most important word used in business. A great guy called Moody has written a book called the "The sixth wave". The author says that human kind has gone through five waves of innovation and each wave was started by a technological innovation. The next innovation he claims will be around Sustainability and Resource efficiency.
The image below shows the waves of innovation in human history. As shown below, the 6th phase is forecast to be triggered by sustainability and increasing resource productivity.
Here are some examples he uses of innovation in business that promotes sustainability:
1> Resource efficiency by lower consumption:- Electrical utilities depend on high energy consumption for their profits. The more people use energy, the more the profits. But then, people don't need to buy energy, they don't really own it. So one business has moved from selling as much energy as possible to selling a service that makes sure consumers use as less energy as possible for the same level of comfort. This means the company is now making a profit by ensuring a quality of service provided to a customer rather than the volume of energy consumed (sold). So, as a consumer you will get energy 24 hrs a day, the house will be kept warm, but they will come to your house and check your roof, windows, devices etc so that you use energy optimally. For me that is a win-win situation.
2> Resource efficiency - One survey says that over 60% of cars stay parked for more than 16 hrs a day and people are tired of paying road tax, parking fees for hardly using the car. So one business has understood that people really don't need to own a car. They can share cars if there is a big enough pool of cars. It is like a taxi system, just that you drive around whenever you need it. Done deal!
I think the industry around "Have" vs "needs" - such as airbnb, fairshare taxis etc is also based on this concept. I am so looking forward to the sixth wave, hope it comes soon and hope it is a big wave to ride on!
