Hello everyone, my name is Bret Cole. I was born and still living just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a town called Aliquippa. I am studying in the Energy and Sustainability Policy program, minoring in Energy Business and Finance through the Penn State World Campus. I am hoping to pursue a career in the solar, or Bio-gas technology industries after graduation. My primary interest in this course is not only to fulfill my requirements, but to also get a further understanding on sustainability ethic and the roles that it can play in the energy business industry. There are many great ideas with sustainable practices with and without renewable energy resources. But most of them lack backup in answering the fundamental question, “how is this going to make me money?” No matter what, that is the primary reason businesses are in business is to make money, and it is really important to have proof while either proposing to investors or a board of directors for an idea. I hope to gain some of that insight while working through this course.
I have never started my own business nor have I ran my own business. I have done interviews with small business owners as while as volunteered at small businesses. During those instances, I was introduced to the daily workings, management, finances, and competition of these small businesses. I give praise to owners for all the work that they do. A business that I could imagine having a significant impact on the renewable energy industry would be a Bio-gas technology generating business that can provide this type of technology cheaper and more effectively to dairy, livestock, and poultry farmers. Bio-gas generation has many benefits to farmers and energy creation and getting this technology to farmers would be great impact in the renewable energy industry in the U.S.
http://engr312.dutton.psu.edu/2014/08/29/pat-mcmahon-lesson-1-getting-to-know-you/#comment-160
Hi Bret,
Sounds like you took BA 250 which I’m taking this semester. I already found my small business to work in and I’m looking forward to doing it. Alternative energy is going to be the future, especially considering the current costs of fossil fuels. EBF 200 taught me that we will never run out of oil because the high costs will eventually lead to increases in efficiencies of alternatives. If you’re interested, I can e-mail you a paper I did on distributed generation for another class. If I must say, the topic was interesting and the paper was well written. Let me know. Regards, Pat.
Hey Bret,
I agree about the economic feasibility in many sustainable energy start-up ideas, but I tend to think of it this way: these oil and gas and coal producers are making unbelievable sums of money. Not only them, but the services companies and brokers and financiers and consultants and all the other ancillary businesses that exist to allow producers to conduct that business of supplying energy to the world. That said, I know that there is only so much oil and gas we can extract from the ground–some estimate oil and gas reserves to be used up within another 50 years. Not only that, but experts say that if we were to burn all the fossil fuels in the earth it would lead to insanely catastrophic conditions as a result.
So, long story short, eventually there must be a shift in that wealth from fossil fuel to alternative energies. We definitely won’t be using less energy in the future, so that money is going to go somewhere. And while alternative energies may not be taken seriously enough now to be economic windfall-type businesses right now, I think eventually they absolutely will be. Indeed, they must be.
Sorry to chew your ear off with that! What do you think?
Thanks! Ken