Research devices in use.

The Energy Pilots program introduction video explains the premise of the research initiative.

The Advertising Capital Model aims to generate additional revenue by advertising using the energy infrastructure. Wind turbines outfitted with smoke printing nozzles spell out advertisement messages into the sky. The fees for these advertisements would help to finance additional wind farm construction.

The Advertising Capital Model is demonstrated and studied in public spaces.

The Thrill Attraction Model proposes to offer chances to win monetary prizes each billing period, similar to the lottery or UK premium bond system.

A representative device - the Solar Lottery Ball Tumbler - is used to discuss the Thrill Attraction Model in the public domain.

The Alternate Service Model is tailored to the needs of a company developing a new solar technology, a solar updraft tower.

The tower may offer an entertainment service, allowing people to launch objects into the sky using the vertical gust from the plant. An Updraft Replicator is used to study this model.

The Extreme Tourism Model seeks to fund enhanced geothermal systems with a luxurious but expensive tour, traveling 5 kilometers underground.

Potential customers discuss the thought of traveling underground, after experiencing a geothermal well simulation with champagne in hand.

The Energy Pilots was featured in the May 2011 issue of AXIS Magazine, in the article "Breakthroughs in Design". Click here to see more.

Cost is still a major limiting factor for low-carbon energy technologies. The Energy Pilots research program has been established to challenge the conventional energy business model in an effort to make low-carbon energy technologies cost-competitive.

The program develops hypothetical business models by borrowing proven techniques from other sectors, and adapts them to fit the financial difficulties of specific low-carbon technologies. Representative devices are then demonstrated in public spaces to discuss the viability and social implications of these hypothetical strategies.

This ongoing research has been presented at the Sparks Energy Symposium and at the Responsible Business Conference in 2011, catalysing discussions around the future of energy business and the associated implications. The project was also featured in the June 2011 issue of AXIS magazine. Click here to see more.