Closed Doors

I'm sitting here watching the show "Who Killed the Electric Car", and besides making me want to rant against companies like GM, it's making me realize that I'm going to have an incredibly hard time bringing heliostats to the masses. Since I'm not independently wealthy, I'm going to have to find big investors, who will naturally gain control any company that would be based on this, and they are most likely going to take it and sit on it so that no one can use it. This is probably the same reason that you can't find any sterling engines on the market.
Did you know that Toyota currently is using more than 50% of the precious metals production available worldwide in its hybrid vehicles? Anyone touting hydrogen fuel cells as a solution for alternative energy is ignoring the fact that there just isn't enough platinum to give everyone fuel cells. The government continues to pour billions of dollars into research programs controlled by the existing petro-chemical oligarchy that has no intentions of changing the status quo anytime soon. Have I mentioned before that these same companies established patents for heliostats back in the 70's and 80's and then DID NOTHING with the technology. Fortunately most of these patents have since expired, but unfortunately it's hard to build a business plan around a product that can't be protected by patents. Hopefully some of my concepts are unique enough to be patentable, but without funding for patent lawers, I won't know. Ask Leo Gerst who spent tens of thousands of dollars only to see his own heliostat patents die a slow death.
Last week I found a place called the Clean Energy Incubator in Austin Texas, which is affiliated with the University of Texas, and part of the I2C consortium. At first I got really excited. They've got a venture summit next week where 5 inventions will get selected to receive funding to move them to market. The expressly stated purpose of this organization is to help nurture new ideas in clean energy and bring them to market. I sent an email with basic information and have yet to receive a reply. I called and got no answer. I drove there and couldn't in the door without an appointment. I can't even get through to the receptionist. Nice job guys.