The Future of Energy Innovation Requires Thinking Small

• The macro need for new, clean energy sources is real and significant. However, a broad social need does not automatically create a business opportunity.
• The lesson from the cleantech bubble is that merely participating in an important sector is not enough to build a great company.
• The path forward for "Energy 2.0" is not to chase the grand, conventional idea of "green energy."
• Instead, successful energy entrepreneurs must think small. The challenge is to find a specific, niche market that can be dominated with a superior solution, and then expand from there.
• This mirrors the path of successful tech companies like Facebook, which started by dominating a single campus before taking over the world.