DailyDirt: Step Right Up And Try Your Luck...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Wed, Oct 26th 2011 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Over the last few years, there have been plenty of crowdsourcing platforms to find solutions to difficult problems. And we've seen some brilliant examples of challenges solved via this method. But it doesn't work every time (nor should anyone expect it to). Here are just a few more open contests to find some innovative answers.

The DOE awarded Philips Lighting North America with the L Prize and $10 million for developing a replacement for the 60-watt incandescent bulb that only uses 10 Watts to achieve the same light output. Apparently, approximately 425 million 60-watt incandescent light bulbs are sold in the United States every year, so if incandescent bulbs could be replaced without a public outcry.... [url]
Out of about 400 applicants, a solution for the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X Challenge to clean up massive oil spills like the BP-Deepwater Horizon disaster has been found that is three times better than previous techniques. Team Elastec/American Marine recovered oil at 4,670 gallons per minute and won a $1 million prize. [url]
The US Air Force, NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office have opened up a competition for rocket launch contracts. The United Launch Alliance might not be the only way for the US military to fly to space -- if companies like Space X can really create suitable rocket systems. [url]
To discover more interesting business-related content, check out what the deal is on StumbleUpon. [url]

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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Filed Under: crowdsourcing, l prize, light bulb, oil spills, rockets, solutions, space, x challenge
Companies: bp, doe, nasa usaf, philips, space x, ula

5 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2011 @ 1:07am

What happens to all the oil floating around the Gulf of Mexico...?
So there haven't been many on-going stories about the BP oil spill.... is oil still being recovered? Is this winning contraption going to be put to use in the Gulf now or is it just for "the next time" there's a huge spill somweher?
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ECA (profile), 27 Oct 2011 @ 1:12am

sOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
lets see..
take the power away for replacing a few bulbs..save money?
NOPE
as soon as the Electric corp see's a drop....POWER Prices will go up..they WANT/NEED money to pay the bills..
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Jimr (profile), 27 Oct 2011 @ 7:21am

Good point ECA.
We had a local government program to reduce energy usage.

It worked as after a year there was an announcement that the program contributed to 5% drop in energy usage for our community. The power company's solution to this presumably long term drop in revenue was to increase the mandatory monthly connection fee. Doing some quick math and it was clear the power company total take in Cash was slight higher than before and yet we had reduced energy consumption by 5%.

Whoopie we help generated more profitable revenue for the energy company!

I am rooting for any alternative home energy solution so I can cut the power cord to my house.
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6, 27 Oct 2011 @ 12:04pm

I think my uncle's old company had already developed such a light bulb, but the issue is that it costs more to make. They were selling them for 30$.
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Michael Ho (profile), 27 Oct 2011 @ 2:47pm

Re:
There's also the phenomenon that energy-saving tactics tend to backfire by encouraging people to use more energy than the amount they saved. It's sorta like drinking diet soda but then eating more big macs to reward your good drink choice.
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