Looking for Good Ideas in Renewable Energy — Advice from Linus Pauling

Linus Pauling is a personal hero of mine. The great chemists of the day (mid-20th Century) admired Pauling’s achievements in quantum physics, but ridiculed his experiments in organic chemistry. “What could a physicist know about our work!” they jeered. One can only imagine how shocked and embarrassed they were when Pauling won the 1954 Nobel Prize for his breakthroughs in protein chemistry.

Obviously, this is an inspirational story on a number of levels, especially for those of us who believe that too much specialization is not necessarily a good thing, or that “pride goeth before a fall.” But I’m reminded in particular of one of my favorite quotes from the genius:

“The way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas.”

This has everything to do with the 2GreenEnergy mission statement: Taking Good Ideas Forward. This is why I urge a volume of new ideas, and never censor opinions or ridicule honest ideas. Everyone should be encouraged to think outside the box, and stretch his imagination to the fullest.

Pauling’s reminder calls upon me to spend a great deal of my life on the phone, email, and on planes, communicating with inventors and entrepreneurs all over the world. Since I’m serious about forwarding good ideas, I know I have to go find lots of potential candidates.