Market Barriers To Alternative Energy

[jessie cheung]

Alternative fuels are our future. On this topic there is very little
argument. We, as nations, cannot continue on the path we have been on
if our future generations are to have a planet and infrastructure to
sustain life and happiness as we have known it. Future generations
will be dictated from what we do right now and over the next 2-3
years. We don't have the luxury of studying it anymore. In order for
alternative fuels like bio or hydrogen fuel cells to become
commercially viable we need a market.
In order to have a market we must have a buyer and a manufacturing
agent that provides a product. With fuel based products there is one
more key ingredient. The infrastructure throughout the supply chain.
So what is this you ask? The infrastructure is both the pumping
stations and the physical plants to produce the products. Then you
need the unique suppliers who build the parts unique to the new tanks
both in the vehicles and in the ground or where ever the fuel is
stored at the delivery station. So, how do we get there? Well, big
business would say they don't see a buyer or thus a market to invest
in the plants and tooling needed to produce the fuels. The buying
public would hold off buying a product that is bleeding edge and thus
limited support once they drive it off the lot of their auto
dealership locally. In addition, its one thing to buy it it's a whole
other question to answer as to where to re-fuel the tank which leads
us to the true market barrier in our opinion.
Today, there are very few if any non fossil fuel stations where
someone can refill their alternative fuel vehicle. There are
experiments in the field today albeit limited but they are out there
and today their support is typically centrally located and thus
limited at best to full functional testing. You wouldn't try a drive
through the Mojave Desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on an
alternative fuel vehicle today. However, if you had stations setup in
Barstow, Baker and the border of Las Vegas you might reconsider your
decision as the way points are much more conducive to you safety
should something happen to your vehicle en-route. So, it's back to the
chicken and the egg. All sides want the end result which in this case
is a non polluting non fossil fuel vehicle. But who goes first? The
United States is not the best country at launching ventures like this.
We tend to offer grants and thus research environments but when it
comes to the Commercial world we turn to private industry to solve it.
Given the decades of build out of our current fossil fuel environment
we do not believe that the government cannot be involved. If the USA
funded the first 20% of the overall re-fueling stations across the USA
the rest would follow and private industry would have its risk reward
ROI (return on investment) all set up for venture capital to enter the
fray. Not unlike what Germany has done with the financing of the solar
industry in country. It can be done. We are entering a unique period
whereby a new President will be voted in. Our current President will
leave office due to our two term maximum. The time is now to find the
candidate that understands this problem and get behind them. This
election is all about fueling our Green Planet needs. Make no
mistake.
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