February 16th, 2010
Has Hydrogen Convergence reached Tipping Point?
Many in the mainstream media like to discuss when hydrogen convergence will reach its tipping point. Guessing the tipping point of emerging technologies has become so popular that it is now a parlor game played at even the best upscale parties. However, we at the ebTDesign Forum would advise institutional investors that knowing the point of overreliance is much more important to their success.
The “point of overreliance” is an event that casts doubt on the robustness of a given infrastructure solution. Typically, the point of overreliance ends any extraordinary funding cycle and starts a decline in the assets perceived value. This is because institutional investors must make room in their portfolios for “alternative path” opportunities in order to protect their clients’ money.
The point of overreliance happened for satellite communication when the Challenger Spaces Shuttle accident occurred. It happened for the telephone industry in the early 1990’s when it was found that a single point of failure on the east coast could bring down the entire aviation system. Last week, it happened to the electricity supply industry when 100,000 families in the Greater Washington DC area were left without power after record snowfall.
It does not matter how extraordinary the circumstances are that led to the event. The failure still shows that there is a systemic flaw in the asset deployment and that a risk mitigation plan needs to be executed. As you know, hydrogen convergence is the best alternative path solution for an over stretched electricity power grid. If residents had had hydrogen cars then the record snowfall would have been a nuance but no where near as life threatening.
Zachary Alexander
Concepts: alternative path, electricity, hydrogen, point of overreliance