Global warming is one of the greatest challenges of our generation. It's going to require new ways of thinking to incorporate cleaner sources of energy in our energy generation, to improve our energy efficiency, and to reduce our carbon footprint. We are already seeing innovations in this space in energy generation, distribution, efficiency, and storage. From more efficient solar panels and wind turbines, to a smart grid transforming how we manage energy distribution, to home energy management solutions helping homes be more energy efficient, to novel battery technologies reducing toxicity and improving energy storage capacity.

However, the adoption of these technologies is not as mainstream as needed to take us to a a greener, cleaner future.

1) Even with tax incentives, Feed in Tariff programs, and subsidies, most US states are aiming for 20% of energy generation to come from clean energy sources by 2020, which is still 10 years out from now!

2) 41.1 million smart meters are scheduled to be deployed by North American utilities by 2015. However, there are 128.2 million housing units in the US. Add commercial and industrial units to the mix and 41.1 million becomes a very small proportion of what is needed.

3) Electric vehicle annual sales are expected to grow to 1.1 million units in 2015 from about 675,000 vehicles in 2010. However, the total annual auto sales in the US is 16.8 million.

How can we drive adoption of green technologies? It's a complicated question because so much depends on consumers becoming more environmentally conscious, innovations in technologies reducing costs and increasing feasibility, effective government incentives, and more. However, I think we also need to incorporate more design thinking in our approach.

Design thinking is the mindset of applying analytical and creative thinking towards solving a problem. According to Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, design thinking means balancing desirability, what humans need, with technical feasibility and economic viability. It is human centered. It is based on what people might want and need, what makes life easier, simpler, and more enjoyable. Also, design thinking does not start with technology or economics. It starts with asking questions about why certain things are the way they are, or why certain things are not possible. It starts with asking questions about how to improve and simplify the way we live. And that kind of thinking is what leads to cultural, technological, and systemic transformations. For example, Isambard Kingdom Brunel asked himself how could someone embark on a train in London and disembark from a ship in New York which led to the development of the S.S. Great Western, a revolution in transportation.

It's challenging to change people and influence behaviour. It's much easier to change the design of our solutions to increase desirability. By incorporating more design thinking into energy efficiency solutions, we can drive adoption of these new technologies and become more sustainable.

Shai Agassi is an example of an entrepreneur using design thinking to transform the auto industry. The question Agassi first asked himself was how could he get an entire country, such as his native Israel, off oil? He realized the answer was electric vehicles, but was aware of the battery limitations due to which electric vehicles have a limited range. Shai then asked himself what kind of system would allow using such batteries be as convenient, effective, and affordable as gasoline. His company, Better Place, designed that system and now has projects in Israel, Australia, Denmark, Canada, US, & Japan to deploy their services and infrastructure to revolutionize the way we drive, thereby reducing and eventually eliminating emissions from cars.

How can we incorporate more design thinking into energy efficiency? How can we design products that adapt to consumers instead of consumers adapting to existing energy efficiency technologies. I think much of it begins by us asking the right questions and opening our imagination.
Some questions we could ask ourselves:

• Can we have solar panels that don't require technicians to install?
• Some of the biggest complaints people have with wind farms is they are not aesthetically pleasing. How can we design wind turbines so people WANT to install them on their roofs?
• How can we store more energy in as little space as possible?
• How can we eliminate traffic congestions?
• How can we reduce the amount of electricity needed to power big data centers?
• How can we design data centers with zero carbon footprint?

What are your questions? Please share them in the comments section.

Sources:
1. Design Thinking 101 by Colleen Davidson - http://www.slideshare.net/whatidiscover/design-thinking-101
2. Design Thinking for Startups
3. HBR - How to jump start the CleanTech economy - http://hbr.org/2009/11/how-to-jump-start-the-clean-tech-economy/ar/3
4. TED - Tim Brown "A call for Design Thinking" - http://blog.ted.com/2009/09/a_call_for_desi.php
5. The Smart Grid in 2010: Market Segments, Applications and Industry Players - By GTM Research
6. Survey Finds Expansion of Housing in the U.S. - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/us/07housing.html?_r=1
7. EV, PHEV Adoption Likely To Be Constrained by Costs, Hybrid Popularity - http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2009/12/ev-phev-adoption-likely-to-be-constrained-by-costs-hybrid-popularity.html
8.US Auto Sales Plummet - http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/US-auto-sales-plunge.aspx

Ahmed Badruddin is a tech entrepreneur developing technologies to help people become greener and more energy efficient. He is currently operating in stealth mode. You can read his blog (http://www.ahmedbad.ca) and follow him on twitter (http://www.twitter.com/ahmedbad)