There’s a saying that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and in so many ways this encapsulates the chief executive of Oracle Corporation—Larry Ellison, a resident of Malibu.
Ellison embraces conservation and the concept that “all waste and pollution are lost profit.” Whether he’s saving elephants, winning America’s Cup or leading the pack taking market shares away from utility companies with micro-grid technologies, Ellison is providing the leadership that America needs now more than ever.
Micro-grids, or small energy stations, are predicted to soar and reach $40B annually around the globe within the next six years. Hooray for green energy and so long to subsidized, dirty carbon-polluting energies.
A six-gigawatt energy station can power 4.8 million homes in America. These micro-facilities comprised of solar, wind, geothermal and ocean wave power are also predicted to leapfrog—like mobile phones leapt over landlines—over the filthy carbon-polluting, antiquated energy systems.
As Larry Ellison knows, when you make your own energy to run football fields of servers storing most of the business data globally and there’s extra energy left over, then it’s sold back into the grid to maximize the investment.
The beauty of these micro-grid systems and the power of Oracle’s ingenious software programming is that with a flip of a switch, green (carbon- and nuclear-free) energy courses seamlessly through the grid.
Welcome, finally, to the 21st century and The Age of Energy Transformation with spectacular innovation!
Ellison also embraces the Laws of Ecology and he, like so many of us, abhors the slaughtering of elephants for their ivory tusks —which, by the way is controlled by the Mafia, Cartel, Syndicate and Triad’s. That’s why Oracle supports cutting edge science to help fight these loathsome poachers.
As a sailor I am chuffed at what Ellison has single-handily done to America’s Cup. Last month (September 2013) Oracle Team USA pulled off a storybook comeback, trailing Emirates Team New Zealand 8 to 1 and one race from elimination, they clawed their way back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for the San Francisco Marina.
Ellison’s team pioneered breathtaking technologies inspired in part by nature. The all carbon-fibered catamarans use massive wingsails and hydrofoils to achieve speeds greater than 2.7 times the speed of the wind when sailing down wind. These beauties reach an astounding 47 knots, or 55 mph, almost as fast as the exquisite endangered Bluefin tuna at 55 knots, or 63 mph.
These magnificent $100M boats also use rigid wingsails rather than traditional cloth and mast mail sails. Fixed wings utilize the same lift force enabling the incomparable albatross to float through the air as these stellar sailboats fly above the surface of the water. Once these sleek crafts reach 20 knots, they pop out of the water and the weight of the boat is carried on its rear foils.
Kudos to Larry Ellison for embracing solar, wind and ocean wave technologies and helping to fight despicable poachers.
Earth Dr. Reese Halter is a broadcaster, conservation biologist, educator and co-author of Life, The Wonder of it All.
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