Earthenterprise Tool Kit - International Institute for Sustainable ...

EarthEnterprise Tool Kit
TOOL
competitive and profitable. Successful entrepreneurs position themselves to
take advantage of these breakthroughs.
The most obvious example of this phenomenon is the electronics industry,
where ongoing research and development has led to dramatic improvements in
performance/cost ratios. Electronic thermostats, vehicle controls and wattage
reducers are some of the new products that have been developed.
Entrepreneurs should be aware of intensive technical work being done in areas
relevant to their interests.
An excellent example in the environmental field is the increasing efficiency (i.e.,
power output) and decreasing cost of photovoltaic cells. Once cost-effective
only in satellites and solar calculators,photovoltaic cells are now competitive in
m a ny remote power situations and, with further dev e l o p m e n t , m ay be
competitive with grid power.
Opportunity Assessment: A Checklist
Entrepreneurs weighing opportunities for investing in sustainable technologies
will want to assess and screen a number of options. While it is not possible to
offer criteria that are, at the same time, all-purpose and highly specific, the
following set of qualitative criteria can be used by a broad range of ecoentrepreneurs.
See “Directories”, pages 136-149, for Technology Assistance Organizations.
62
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT