New York 2006

Chapter 132 The pioneers of the Internet

"Logic, Taylor, look, this is First Solar, a famous solar energy company in the United States. This is a solar panel manufacturer. It currently has the largest market share in the United States."

At a convention in Los Angeles, Luo Ji and Taylor wore sunglasses and masks and were slightly disguised as they walked in front. Taylor's mother, Andrea Swift, and Fiona followed behind, and two bodyguards stood guard around them.Sarah Gore, the youngest daughter of former Vice President Al Gore, introduced next to her.

"First Solar Company? Is this a manufacturer? How is their technology?" Luo Ji asked doubtfully.

Sarah Gore introduced: "I'm not sure about this. Their technology should be considered leading. They have performed very well in the stock market recently."

Gore's daughter, Sarah Gore, is 28 years old and has just been engaged to a Chinese-American fiancé.Sarah's appearance is pretty good and she feels approachable.She is also a graduate of Harvard University and a medical student at UCSF.She is a good girl with a relatively simple mind.

The Live Earth concert in New York three days ago was organized by Sarah Gore.After finishing, Luo Ji, Taylor and Sarah flew to Los Angeles to participate in the new energy enterprise exhibition launched by Gore.

With nothing to do, Sarah Gore became a guide at the Luo Ji Exhibition.

The group continued walking forward, and Luo Ji and his group encountered various renewable energy companies.Biofuels, wind power, tidal power, solar power, geothermal energy and more.

Of course, the most numerous people here are project teams sent by major traditional energy giants, and they have already begun to lay out the new energy industry.

"Is this kind of craft difficult? How do you install such a large fan blade?"

Luo Ji pointed to a wind power generation model and asked the staff in charge of the display.The male staff member was very excited when he recognized Luo Ji, but he calmed down and introduced him professionally.

"It is not difficult to manufacture blades, and it is not difficult to install them. There is that kind of specially installed equipment. The most difficult thing in wind power generation equipment and the most complicated process is actually the main shaft. It has to withstand long-term wear and tear, and the material must be resistant to fatigue and resistance. Wear and tear. The process flow is extremely complex and the technology has certain barriers..."

Ten minutes later, after Luo Ji finished listening to the staff's stories, he asked: "Which companies in the wind power industry are leading in the world?"

“European Union businesses!”

The staff member replied without hesitation: "The EU has a dense population, so environmental pollution is relatively serious, and they have a developed economy. Europeans are more sensitive to environmental protection than Americans, and their demand for renewable energy is also higher. So. Their companies entered this field earlier than ours and their technology is more advanced than ours."

"Ah."

After Luo Ji listened carefully, he looked at the booth with some regret. Although the company's product technology level was not the highest in the world, it was still quite competitive in the United States. Unfortunately, it was an old company and did not accept investment.

The staff at the booth said: "Logic, is she your girlfriend Taylor?"

"Yes."

"Then can you guys join us and Zhang Ying?"

"No problem, but keep your voice down so as not to attract other people's attention."

"OK."

After taking photos with several employees at the booth, Luo Ji and Taylor said goodbye and continued to visit other companies at the venue.

Luo Ji said to Taylor next to him, "If you feel bored, you can go shopping with Fiona and the others in a nearby shopping mall."

"It's okay." Taylor said with a smile: "It's quite interesting to visit these innovative companies. Technology is progressing."

"Okay, then you can spend more time with your mother and say nice things to me."

"Don't worry, she has forgiven you." Taylor said.

"That's fine, but you have to remember that I took the blame on your mother for you and took all the responsibility on me."

"I get it, honey. I'll continue to put in a good word for you in front of her."

Some time ago in the UK, the two had one day of free time after promoting the song, so Taylor called Lily Allen to hang out in London.Luo Ji naturally wanted to follow, and then they got carried away while having fun. Taylor secretly drank wine and insisted on dragging Luo Ji with him. Then he was accidentally photographed by the paparazzi, which was later exposed by the British media.

This is not a problem in the UK, and the alcohol prohibition in the UK is not as serious as in the United States. But who can call the two people American? After this news reached the United States, it caused quite a stir.

Ever since Luo Ji and Taylor returned from England, Taylor's mother, Andrea, has been with Taylor every step of the way.The two of them spent much less time alone together.

"Logic, do you want to invest in companies in the new energy industry?" Sarah Gore walked up to Luo Ji and asked loudly.

"Ah."

Luo Ji had already discussed investment with several companies this day, but many of them were established companies and they were not short of funds. Luo Ji had only negotiated one intended investment so far.

Sarah said: "You told me earlier, I happen to know a start-up company in the new energy industry."

Under the leadership of Sarah, several people made their way around the huge exhibition and came to a remote booth with the name SolarCity, a solar city company.

Sarah Gore said: “This is a residential solar installer that was established last year to sell solar power equipment installed on rooftops to family homes.”

Houses in the United States are generally wooden single-family houses, so it is indeed feasible to install solar power generation equipment on the roof. However, a set of solar power generation equipment is too expensive now, and the cost is between 10000 US dollars and 20000 US dollars.The average family cannot afford it.

Luo Ji couldn't help but wonder about this business model. It was so expensive, would any customers be willing to pay for it?Even if there are people who are not short of money and are willing to support environmentally friendly purchases, how big can the market be?

"I seem to have seen him somewhere?"

Taylor said to Luo Ji, and then she suddenly realized and said, "I have met him before when I performed live near the Bay Area. His company is near the Bay Area. He came to see my performance at that time."

"Is it such a coincidence?"

"I didn't expect that either." Sarah Gore chatted with the man for a while, and then he brought the young man to Luo Ji: "Logic, Taylor, this is Lyndon Reeve, the founder of Solar City .Linden, this is Logic, and this is Taylor.”

"Hello."

"Hello, Taylor, what a coincidence. I went to see your show last time you performed in Silicon Valley. After your show, we took a group photo, and I chatted with you for a few words after that. You also remember me?"

"remember."

After a few people exchanged pleasantries, Luo Ji raised some questions about the development of Linden Company: "Now, a solar rooftop power generation system on the market costs at least [-] meters, and the cost is so high. How does your company plan to expand its customer base? ?”

"Logic, I heard Sara say that you want to invest in new energy-related companies, right?"

"Yeah. If you feel there is no need for financing, or the business operation method needs to be kept secret, then forget it."

"It's okay. You can easily look up my business ideas online."

Lyndon Reeve thought for a moment and then said: "My business philosophy is that customers don't have to pay the upfront installation costs, but they have to agree to buy the power generated by these panels for 20 years, and they only have to pay every month. For a certain fee, you can use the electricity generated by solar energy. The monthly electricity bill is much cheaper than the traditional electricity bill, and it is also very environmentally friendly."

“What is the customer’s monthly electricity bill?”

"It ranges from 70 meters to 200 meters. It is calculated separately according to the house area and electricity consumption."

Luo Ji did a little mental calculation, and then said, "Isn't this too long a time to pay back the original investment? It's usually more than ten years."

"This is wrong of you."

Lyndon Reeve smiled and said: "As a company, we can purchase solar rooftop systems in large quantities and have extremely high bargaining power, so that we can reduce costs. Compared with individuals, we purchase rooftop solar power systems for more It’s much cheaper. The cost is actually not as exaggerated as you see. A rooftop power generation system can basically pay for itself within five years.”

"The business model is quite reasonable. We invest part of it in the early stage, and then use the monthly rent from customers to continue to expand new customer groups."

Luo Ji pondered for a moment, then continued: "There are no technical barriers in this industry, so there should be competitors. And it should require a lot of initial investment, right?"

"Yes, Logic. You are a smart man. I don't want to brag about how powerful my business idea is. This industry is all about burning money to occupy the market. My company is the first in this industry."

"You are very candid," Luo Ji said.

Lyndon Reeve smiled and continued: "So are you interested in investing? Logic, my company has started Series D financing."

"Okay, you send me the information first. I need to find a professional to evaluate it. When the time comes, remember to give me a valuation quote for the company."

"OK."

Luo Ji then looked at Fiona: "Leave it to you. You go and communicate on the follow-up matters. Report to me directly."

"Ah."

Fiona and Lyndon Reeve, to discuss the details of the follow-up.

Luo Ji and Taylor visited the booth.Solar City employees explain how to install a rooftop power generation system, how to connect it to a home circuit, how to use it in daily life, and more.

Taylor whispered: "It's really good. It's very environmentally friendly. It uses the energy of the sun. As long as you invest in it initially, it can be used indefinitely."

"It's not that simple."

Luo Ji continued: "The equipment needs to be maintained later, and the solar equipment has life limits, etc. In short, the cost is still too high now."

"Technology is advancing." Sarah Gore said: "One day, the installation cost will become cheaper."

"Ah."

Luo Ji calculated in his mind that if the Democratic Party came to power next year, such environmental protection companies might be able to obtain low-interest loans or tax refunds from the government.So as long as the company's valuation is not excessive, it should be worthy of investment.

An hour later, several people left. Luo Ji made an appointment with Lyndon Reeve to visit his company tomorrow.

"How do you know this person? Is he reliable?"

Luo Ji looked at Sarah Gore and said.Linden's company plan is pretty good, but I don't know if this person is a liar.

Sarah Gore, the daughter of former Vice President Al Gore, would not lie to him, but to be on the safe side, Luo Ji decided to ask.

"He's the cousin of my fiancé's friend."

Sarah Gore’s fiancé is Chinese-American Bill Lee. During the Internet bubble in the 2000s, he made his first pot of gold, about 2 million U.S. dollars. After that, he, like most Internet pioneers who made a fortune at that time, established a company. Venture capital funds, became capitalists.

Many people do this, including Marc Andreessen of Netscape, John Fanning, Sean Fanning and Sean Parker of Napster, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google Dogs, etc. .Many venture investors currently active on the front line are successful people from the Internet bubble era.

"Who is Bill's friend?"

"Elon Musk."

Sarah smiled and said: "You may not remember his name, but you must have heard of his company. He is the founder of Palpay, and now he is the chairman of Space X and Tesla."

(End of this chapter)