American Innovation in the Energy Sector

Observations on the Fourth Industrial Revolution
A regular scan of articles and insights with commentary from a parent’s perspective

On the day that Neptunya, a Florida-based company that uses a novel design to capture the energy of ocean waves, won first place in the 2022 Cade Prize for Innovation the founder/inventor, Rodrigo Griese, and his family also became naturalized citizens of the United States of America. It was a fitting coincidence as these two incredible moments together exemplify the American Dream which itself is rooted in the foundation of our incredible country.

Did you know the United States of America is the only country in the world to include an individual’s right to own their own idea in its founding documents? Article 1 Section 8 of the US Constitution includes a clause often referred to as the “Inventor’s Clause”. That clause reads “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries”. Many who would argue that this individual right laid the foundation for the burgeoning innovation that came out of the United States in the 1800s and beyond.

Neptunya is on the cusp of being one of those stories of American innovation. Using an innovative wind turbine design, coupled with a novel approach to stabilizing the turbines, Neptunya believes they have a product that could offer ubiquitous, cost effective, renewable energy generation with minimal impact on marine life. This could be an incredibly lucrative product for Neptunya, as the US Department of Energy reports that wind energy is the largest sector of energy-generating capacity growth in the US.

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Wind energy is forecasted to continue to have substantial industry growth in the coming decade across the United States. Not surprisingly, the fastest growing job in the US is wind turbine technician.  The job does require you live in a place where gusts of wind are a normal occurrence, and you embrace the idea of working outdoors at the height of 17 stories or more! (Interestingly, Neptunya’s novel design changes the nature of the work one might expect in servicing their turbine as it is compact and at ocean level.)  
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If the job requirements don’t appeal to you or your teenager, but they find the industry fascinating, remember that it takes all kinds of skills and talents to grow and sustain an industry including engineering, marketing, finance, sales, and management. American innovation in the energy sector has the potential to improve lives and drive opportunity. Neptunya is an innovator in the space, and the winner of the 2022 Cade Prize for Innovation.
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Links for the Data Geeks out there:
Wind Market Reports 2021 Edition
Fastest Growing Occupations - Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Wind Turbine Technician - Fastest Growing Job in America
A Day in the Life of a Wind Turbine Engineer