Bill Gates Confident that Innovation Will Solve Energy Crisis within 15 Years

Billionaire owner of tech giant Microsoft Bill Gates has signalled his certainty that research and development into clean forms of energy production will produce a breakthrough within the next 15 years.

Speaking in the yearly open letter published by his and his wife’s foundation, the billionaire underlined his plans to bring clean energy to even the most impoverished citizens of the world, whilst simultaneously reducing our carbon emissions to zero.

Existing Technologies not Enough

In something of a departure from his normally dismissive attitude towards the potential of solar and wind power, Gates lends his support to the vast strides made in such technologies in recent years.

“New green technologies are allowing the world to produce more carbon-free energy from solar and wind power,” he explains. “Maybe you live near a wind farm or have seen solar panels near your school. It’s great that these are getting cheaper and more people are using them. We should use more of them where it makes sense, like in places where it’s especially sunny or windy. And by installing special new power lines we could make even more use of solar and wind power.”

Having said that, however, Gates was quick to underline his belief that wind and solar alone will not be enough to save our planet. Instead, he echoed certain sentiments voiced by Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop at December's COP21 talks in Paris, by calling for the need to invest in a myriad of different and innovative techniques.

A Scattergun Approach

Gates urged for individuals to come forward with innovative (even outlandish) ideas on how to tackle the problem, directing his comments most particularly at teenagers and young people. He stressed that by working in tandem with governments and receiving substantial investment from private entities (such as his own Energy Breakthrough Coalition or, closer to home, the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in Redcar), we can work together to stop climate change.

“We need a massive amount of research into thousands of new ideas – even ones that might sound a little crazy – if we want to get to zero emissions by the end of this century,” Gates wrote. “New ways to make solar and wind power available to everyone around the clock could be one solution. Some of the crazier inventions I’m excited about are a possible way to use solar energy to produce fuel, much like plants use sunlight to make food for themselves, and batteries the size of swimming pools with huge storage capacity.

“Many of these ideas won’t work, but that’s okay. Each dead end will teach us something useful and keep us moving forward. As Thomas Edison famously said, ‘I have not failed 10,000 times. I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work’.”

Along with a host of other billionaires and entrepreneurs, Gates’ Energy Breakthrough Coalition has pledged to invest $10 billion in new energy production avenues, matching a figure named by the US government. With any luck, this significant investment will produce the return that Gates so confidently predicts and help to ensure the continuing safety and health of our planet.