Green California

I am continuing my investigation into green technologies and potential related careers. There are many different technologies in areas such as monitoring and conservation, alternative fuels, power generation, power storage, transportation, etc. Many of these areas require completely different experience from my career in semiconductors and consumer electronics. Most of my hardware experience in ASIC and logic design falls short of the device level physics and materials knowledge required in some of these areas. A lot of the fuel and transportation technologies center more around chemical and mechanical engineering. There are a few opportunities with embedded control systems and more general project management. This is my current focus for now.

There are more and more venture capital funds focusing on green technology, clean energy, etc. There are even some non-profit entities such as the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF) receiving funds from the likes of PG&E. One of the biggest hurdles seems to be the federal governments close ties to the fossil fuel and transportation industries. Without a strong commitment from the US government, I'm afraid the industry will not move as quickly as it could. In the mean time countries like Germany have enacted Renewable Energies Laws which have stimulated huge growth in their solar industry. At least some states are starting to take action such as California's Green California program. How do we get the federal government to follow suit?

In the mean time, the San Jose peregrine falcons are doing well. It is fun to watch Jose and Clara feeding and protecting their three chicks on the webcam. They seem to be doing a pretty good job. The chicks are getting bigger each day. They are starting to look like baby birds rather than boneless lumps of white fluff. I haven't had a chance to spot the falcons during my visits to downtown, but I hope to do so. I'll be especially interested watching them when the chicks start to fledge.