Dana Blankenhorn on Stephen Chu’s open source energy future
Dana Blankenhorn writes: open source is not enough, open standards are needed as well.
Dana Blankenhorn (excerpt):
“Energy Secretary Stephen Chu (right) has seen our energy future and says it’s open source.
Specifically, he wants open source tools that might act as plug-ins to building design programs and act as guides to improving a project’s energy efficiency. It might help in the siting of windows, or rooftop solar cells.
It’s impressive, but I think there’s something that’s more important than open source: Open standards!
* Solar cells need to be built to a standard size, with standard connectors, so they can be replaced easily as new technologies are developed.
* Systems for collecting power from small suppliers need to be standardized, not just for the benefit of utilities but of owners of solar and wind resources who might have some extra power to sell.”