Alternative energy and Silicon Valley

Friday, February 2nd, 2007, was big news day in the global warming story. A group of international scientists concluded that global warming had a 90% chance of being caused by humans. I wonder why they don't come right out and say it is our fault. I guess the last 10% is always the most difficult. :-) In any case, by a strange coincidence, Al Gore (he of "An Inconvenient Truth" fame) spoke yesterday at the 2007 State of the Valley conference on the Valley's role in saving the world again. Many of the same players are back again. VC's like John Doerr, entrepreneurs like TJ Rodgers, and even Al Gore. Matt Marshall talks about some entrepreneurs like Marc Porat who have been there and done that, who are back again with not one, but three green building companies. A lot of startups will seek money, many will be funded and some may even cash out. Clearly, its deja vu all over again, as Yogi Berra would have it. But, this time there is a difference, in addition to making money, the entrepreneurs will have a feel good feeling that they are genuinely in it to save the world, not to mention the Bay Area. Not a moment too soon, either. I saw projections in the news which would put San Francisco International airport and significant portions of the reclaimed land in the Bay Area underwater in a few decades if global warming causes sea levels to go up significantly.