One to Zero: 21st century to the Dark Ages

Re:One to Zero: 21st century to the Dark Ages by brudgers on Thursday March 17, 2016 @03:51AM (#11303041)

An opportunity I see is retrofitting a low voltage power distribution system within homes as part of the retrofit. Solar and batteries are already direct current and that's what digital electronics use...wall wart transformers are a kludge, directly plugging in the USB cable that charges my phone makes more sense.

At the extreme end, a system with solar cells and batteries that only serves digital electronics might be the MVP for the One to Zero market.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:One to Zero: 21st century to the Dark Ages by hjaved on Thursday March 17, 2016 @10:22AM (#11304486)

Thanks. I agree the MVP you mention is going to play an important role for the larger market segment (mid to low income).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:One to Zero: 21st century to the Dark Ages by brudgers on Thursday March 17, 2016 @12:50PM (#11305620)

To me, it looks like the place where there is a strong potential for early mover advantage: i.e. it's a zero.

Solar system installation is a commodity market inside a larger commodity market of general power systems. Residential sales are individual and high touch (even higher touch at the higher end). Construction projects have long timelines and often substantial local regulatory overhead, especially for electrical power systems at the scale of buildings.

On the other hand, low voltage power for digital devices can scale outward from small partial installations, e.g. one solar panel, one battery, one outlet. Low voltage power already has DIY components for applications such as landscape lighting. And it's not directly in competition with Seimens, Caterpillar, GE, and the local power company. And it can be delivered via DHL or UPS or the local retailer.

After 25 years in the industry, I don't believe that construction scales except for linearly. Of course that may be your goal and it's a good one.

[ Parent | on HN ]