Bobcat Innovation Launch Pad

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Problem Statement

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1st person statement

1

Power Elasticity

Large, sustained power outages have occurred with increasing frequency in the U.S. over the past two decades. In 2000 there were fewer than 24 major disruptions while in 2020 the number surpassed 180. How do individuals and businesses alike develop Disaster Recover (DR)/Business Continuity Plan (BCP) strategies with local capacitive storage capabilities and software analytics to create their own power, smart grids, and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)?

2

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

As the world tries to rapidly shift towards battery electric vehicles, the infrastructure to support them in an environmentally conscious way continues to fall behind. The environment, automotive manufacturers, and the consumer will all be hindered from adopting the future of mobility without solving the supply chain of delivering clean energy to future vehicles. How do federal, state, and local governments adapt and support for the lack of electric charger infrastructure, lack of clean energy generation to chargers, and lack of sustainable battery component mining?

3

ESG Assurance

Investment management firms and government regulators need a way to consistently identify and track a company's performance as it relates to their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. What is the best way to help them do that given the breadth of this category, inconsistent measures and limited data points available?

4

Micro Grids

The LG and Tesla Powerwall are mass electrical capacitive storage systems. Installed into consumers' homes, they go beyond a Uninteruptable Power Supply (UPS) as smart capacitors can buy power off the grid when it's cheaper at night, do power arbitrage selling power back to the grid, and support full power loads on homes and electric vehicle charging. Unfortunately, a Powerwall costs $14,000 plus electrician and permit costs and caters to single family home owners. How do 44 million renters, those who own apartments, and those who cannot afford expensive Tesla products participate in energy management and smart power efficiencies?

5

Shadow Utility

In 2006, Lennar Homes took a radical approach to home building requiring solar on every home they build without the buyer asking or paying for it. Home owners did not have to pay for or maintain their roof or solar system, but they had the option to buy power from the utility at full price, or from Lennar solar farm for less. As the largest solar farm on land they didn't pay for, they secretly created a shadow utility to be able to sell that power back to the grid or to customers. What other products, ecosystems, or verticals could benefit from this kind of disruptive thinking and scaled leverage for renewable and ESG-friendly power?