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How the Economy Is Changing Clean Energy 227

Al writes "The economy has hit green energy technologies hard, but technologies focused on energy efficiency and clean coal are still attracting money. Over the next few years, venture capitalists say that the biggest winners in clean tech will most likely be companies with technologies that improve efficiency. Such ventures often take advantage of cheap sensors, communications hardware, and software packages to monitor and control energy use both in buildings and on the electricity grid. High-capital businesses are now more likely to succeed if they can attract foreign funding. For instance, Great Point Energy, based in Cambridge, which has developed a process for converting coal into natural gas, has attracted $100m in funding from China."

Comment Re:10 Years, not Infinity+ years (Score 1) 597

Anything that requires physical manufacturing, quality control, and any kind of regulatory oversight can't hope to go from concept to consumer within less than 2 years.

Which means your industry didn't need IP in the first place, you already have a two year monopoly and a head start for your brand thereafter. (And, if regulatory oversight is really so onerous, just regulate that competitors aren't approved until after you.) I'm more concerned for the useful specialist ebook-author.

Comment Re:not that big a deal (Score 1) 317

Maybe they've clued on to the public sentiment against drug patents? Presenting themselves to be voluntarily charitable seeks to undermine our strongest argument for IP reform, while at the same time they are likely increasing profits (think DVD market segregation, except that the people who still cannot afford to buy the product in their region cannot just download it).

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