Open Source Alternative Energy
This comment, on Red Hat's new venture promoting the open source philosophy outside traditional software arenas, hits a point that has bothered me since O'Reilly started to enter the alternative energy space last year.
Take alternative energy inventions and open source them so that any company can use it to make lower costing alternative energy products. That way we get cheaper cars, cheaper fluorescent light bulbs, cheaper solar and wind powered devices, cheaper fuel cell batteries, and even the poor might be able to afford those alternative energy devices that are unavailable to them because of the high prices.
The alternative energy space is doing so much good for the world, and has such a great need for rapid innovation and change. It seems a shame that the norm is to shroud new alternative energy innovations in secrecy. Venture capitalists will always push for keeping the technology locked down until they squeeze every last dollar out of it, but in the software world they're gradually learning that open source is not only good for the progress of technology as a whole, but also good for their profits. I wonder how long it'll take the energy investors to catch on.
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That profits matter. That may have been the case for several years after the dot-com explosion, but venture capitalists are hungry for deals now. And, in light of recent high-priced acquisitions (for example, Skype), it makes more sense for startups to lose money and go for growth--not build a stable, profitable business
I'm not sure that's a great idea.
Software source code has a few properties that make software freedom a good idea: (a) self-help is otherwise hampered; (b) zero-material-cost golden rule sharing is otherwise hampered; (c) software innovation is unusually cumulative -- there's less product substitution and more creation of new products out of existing products regarded as parts; (d) it is generally intractable to debug substantial software systems before release but software freedom means that bugs can be fixed "in the field" as needed; (e) (a negative reason) lack of (much) demonstrated success at good results from spending the windfall profits of IP-protected software.
It isn't clear that energy innovation shares any of those properties.
What is clear is that if/when there are big breakthroughs in energy production, conservation, etc. that, to have meaningful impact, the innovations almost always need a massive build-out to deploy them: high capacity factories to make the new device or huge new installations to generate the power, etc.
How is that big build-out supposed to happen, absent the heavy profit incentive of IP protection?
Look at solar over the past decade, for example. Isn't that industry innovating and building out at a pretty good clip? And isn't it an IP-driven industry? Why is solar so much cheaper today, per watt, than a decade ago -- if not for strong IP?
-t
Software source code has a few properties that make software freedom a good idea: (a) self-help is otherwise hampered; (b) zero-material-cost golden rule sharing is otherwise hampered; (c) software innovation is unusually cumulative -- there's less product substitution and more creation of new products out of existing products regarded as parts; (d) it is generally intractable to debug substantial software systems before release but software freedom means that bugs can be fixed "in the field" as needed; (e) (a negative reason) lack of (much) demonstrated success at good results from spending the windfall profits of IP-protected software.
Thomas i fully agree with You on this one!
I actualy thing that is a great idea except that not everything works around great ideas only on money.We always choose money (corp.gov.bus.etc.)
The alternative energy space is doing so much good for the world, and has such a great need for rapid innovation and change.
Software is not only programmed from home programmers sharing their program made for themthelfes. Some companies spent a lot of money to produce shareware and hope they will get their money back + some win.
It would be good for all if some companies share their patents / ideas / products for all at cheap cost. But I dont believe there will come up companies which give their capital for free..
Hope dies last ;)
I do agree with you it is great to have companies sharing their trade secrets. Open source alternative energy is a great concept, but i feel it is not workable. Company are here to make a profit, so it is not possible for them to share what they have invented. Unless it is an non profit organisation, it will be different.
Alternative energy is going to be the next big thing, let see who gets there first, redhat? MS? Google?
alternative energy is an absolute must. if the open source thing can help forcing that ... the time will show us.
Alternative energy is going to be the next big thing - fully agree it also helps with our health and lifestyle and change thinking of our planet as green planet...
I love this idea! Only through information sharing and a concerted effort will we be successful in getting away petroleum.
How is that big build-out supposed to happen, absent the heavy profit incentive of IP protection?
How is that big build-out supposed to happen, absent the heavy profit incentive of IP protection? - Right Jessy !
Great article - open source IT is possible because of how piece-meal improvements creates fantastic products, one on top of another in somewhat centralized fashions. Any idea if there are similar "centralized" fashions that these can happen?
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chad [04.18.07 06:47 PM]
I love this idea! Only through information sharing and a concerted effort will we be successful in getting away petroleum.