#4: The Power Pack:
Elon Musk has deservedly received a great deal of media attention for shaking up the automotive industry with the Tesla, his high-performance all–electric vehicle, but it is actually the utility industry where he will first disrupt entrenched incumbents. In May of 2015, Musk introduced the PowerPack, a sleek, attractive and affordable new type of battery that allows homeowners and businesses to store energy produced from rooftop solar panels during the day and then draw upon that energy at night. In addition to lowering the strain on the existing grid, the technology will also move existing utility customers one step closer to severing any remaining ties to their local utility provider in 2016.
#5: Nano-Steel:
Nano-Steel: Call it the “Mighty Mouse” of steel. Modumetal, a Seattle-based startup, has developed a new process that can increase the strength of steel ten-fold and make it more resistant to corrosion. The technology is already being tested in oil fields and, in 2016, with this new technology, automobiles will be made lighter and thus more fuel-efficient, bridges will be built to last longer, and buildings designed to soar to new heights.
#6: Reusable Rockets:
The phrase “reduce, recycle and reuse” is no longer just a mantra for environmentalists, in 2016, it may well be the rallying cry for the space industry as well. In November, Blue Origin, the space company backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, became the first company to launch a rocket into space and then successfully re-land it back on earth.
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