"Secretive energy startup backed by Bill Gates achieves solar breakthrough"

[BobPSU92]

See the link below. From the article:

"New York (CNN Business) -- A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet.

Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven — one capable of reaching temperatures that are roughly a quarter of what you'd find on the surface of the sun.

The breakthrough means that, for the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial processes. In other words, carbon-free sunlight can replace fossil fuels in a heavy carbon-emitting corner of the economy that has been untouched by the clean energy revolution.

"We are rolling out technology that can beat the price of fossil fuels and also not make the CO2 emissions," Bill Gross, Heliogen's founder and CEO, told CNN Business. "And that's really the holy grail.""

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/business/heliogen-solar-energy-bill-gates/index.html

Very promising. Let's see if companies are willing to make the investment.

The article goes on to discuss Heliogen's pursuit of customers for their technology. Cement and steel producers are obvious targets. What about athletics? Penn State should be the first to make a sizable investment to make Franklin's hot seat even hotter. Franklin does want state-of-the-art facilities.

 

[wcg207]

On rainy, cloudy, snowy, or otherwise no sun days, do the workers at the cement, steel, glass, etc. plants get a paid or unpaid day off?

 

[BobPSU92]

On rainy, cloudy, snowy, or otherwise no sun days, do the workers at the cement, steel, glass, etc. plants get a paid or unpaid day off?

From the article:

“One problem with solar is that the sun doesn't always shine, yet industrial companies like cement makers have a constant need for heat. Heliogen said it would solve that issue by relying on storage systems that can hold the solar energy for rainy days.”

 

[interrobang]

I'll check back in 10 years to see if this technology is cost effective at a full scale.

 

[83wuzme]

Eh, we have heard things like this before.
Especially from private companies.

 

[Woodpecker]

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

See the link below. From the article:

"New York (CNN Business) -- A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet.

Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven — one capable of reaching temperatures that are roughly a quarter of what you'd find on the surface of the sun.

The breakthrough means that, for the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial processes. In other words, carbon-free sunlight can replace fossil fuels in a heavy carbon-emitting corner of the economy that has been untouched by the clean energy revolution.

"We are rolling out technology that can beat the price of fossil fuels and also not make the CO2 emissions," Bill Gross, Heliogen's founder and CEO, told CNN Business. "And that's really the holy grail.""

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/business/heliogen-solar-energy-bill-gates/index.html

Very promising. Let's see if companies are willing to make the investment.

The article goes on to discuss Heliogen's pursuit of customers for their technology. Cement and steel producers are obvious targets. What about athletics? Penn State should be the first to make a sizable investment to make Franklin's hot seat even hotter. Franklin does want state-of-the-art facilities.

Love the idea.

And way to bring it full-circle in the end. Laser focus!!!

 

[91Joe95]

From the article:

“One problem with solar is that the sun doesn't always shine, yet industrial companies like cement makers have a constant need for heat. Heliogen said it would solve that issue by relying on storage systems that can hold the solar energy for rainy days.”

So basically they plan on boiling water to make high pressure steam which turns a generator to make electricity, and then they store that in a battery? Maybe its commercially viable, but I keep seeing all these added costs that they haven't listed and which tend to kill these types of projects when not accounted for. Personally, I'd stick to the death ray application, but that's just me.

 

[mn78psu83]

So basically they plan on boiling water to make high pressure steam which turns a generator to make electricity, and then they store that in a battery? Maybe its commercially viable, but I keep seeing all these added costs that they haven't listed and which tend to kill these types of projects when not accounted for. Personally, I'd stick to the death ray application, but that's just me.

 

[PSU Soupy]

Good netflix 3 episode series on Netflix about Bill and Melinda, called "Inside Bill Gate's Brain". Basically some of the Microsoft history, but mostly about his philanthropy work. Most interesting to me was the new design of a nuclear plant designed by a Gates Startup with Philanthropy money, that was ready to be built in China and then killed by the he tariff war in early 2019

Basically it was a much safer nuclear plant that uses the spent nuclear canisters from other nuclear facilities as the fuel, runs 24X7, creates no CO2 and is more competitive cost wise than either solar / wind.

If one believes that Global Warming is the greatest issue in our life time that this would be a great solution as it is cost effectie, no CO2 created and decreases the amount of the current nuclear waste in storage........ seems like something that Green Peace would support.....but no environmental group will support the effort.....

other projects was the design of a toilet system that uses no water or no electricity....harder problem than one would think.....for use in Africa, and other less accessible areas, also work on getting polio vaccines to people in the small villages in Africa. The polio work seems to have been very successful, not so much yet on the toilet or the nuclear plant.

 

[Cletus11]

there is no silver bullet with renewables (almost like fossil fuel has variations with coal, nat gas, oil, etc...) they all have their niches where they are better and/or do not work.

 

[interrobang]

I've always found it amusing that solar energy, which technically is not renewable since there's no new sun growing, is considered renewable, yet fossil fuels that by their very existence are renewable, are considered not renewable.

 

[Lion78]

I've always found it amusing that solar energy, which technically is not renewable since there's no new sun growing, is considered renewable, yet fossil fuels that by their very existence are renewable, are considered not renewable.

Funny! Yes there are suns growing, just not ones that can be used by Earth. What happens if the sun goes out? As far as our existence is concerned, the Sun is renewable as it's a constant source. Fossil fuels are renewable, just not to the extend they are being used.

 

[BobPSU92]

So basically they plan on boiling water to make high pressure steam which turns a generator to make electricity, and then they store that in a battery?

Stop making stuff up.

 

[PS4814]

I've always found it amusing that solar energy, which technically is not renewable since there's no new sun growing, is considered renewable, yet fossil fuels that by their very existence are renewable, are considered not renewable.

 

[MJG-90]

On rainy, cloudy, snowy, or otherwise no sun days, do the workers at the cement, steel, glass, etc. plants get a paid or unpaid day off?

More importantly, what happens to Franklin's seat? Does it start to cool? We can't have that can we?

 

[wcg207]

More importantly, what happens to Franklin's seat? Does it start to cool? We can't have that can we?

Depends if it's plugged in or not. Electric chairs need power, solar or fossil fuel produced notwithstanding.

 

[MJG-90]

Seriously though.....don't we need multiple "clean" energy supplies to maintain our grid through catastrophic events? As a crazy example, say we go all solar and one of those super volcanoes erupts and we don't see the sun for a long time. Wouldn't having a good supply of nuclear energy be a great plan? How many nuclear plants are left in this country? How many are ancient? Doesn't anyone think we've learned a lot from the minor disaster known as TMI? Or the more major disasters like Chernobyl or Fukushima? And if the Gates plants are using waste anyway, why not put it to use instead of burying it in a cave somewhere?

The sun doesn't always shine. The wind doesn't always blow. Fossil fuels are bad. Why not build some safe nuclear power? I know. NIMBY.

 

[hagberg]

.

 

[83wuzme]

Earlier this year, there was a less noticed item about research and progress with solid state batteries.
While this may not be as sexy a topic as nuclear fusion or quantum dot solar arrays, it has the potential to do a lot more toward making our economy electric than people may realize. Batteries that can hold far more charge, recharge much faster, operate in temperature extremes, last many times longer and aren’t combustible would be a big game changer.
If the lab results can be translated into real world application, of course.

 

[LionJim]

Seriously though.....don't we need multiple "clean" energy supplies to maintain our grid through catastrophic events? As a crazy example, say we go all solar and one of those super volcanoes erupts and we don't see the sun for a long time. Wouldn't having a good supply of nuclear energy be a great plan? How many nuclear plants are left in this country? How many are ancient? Doesn't anyone think we've learned a lot from the minor disaster known as TMI? Or the more major disasters like Chernobyl or Fukushima? And if the Gates plants are using waste anyway, why not put it to use instead of burying it in a cave somewhere?

The sun doesn't always shine. The wind doesn't always blow. Fossil fuels are bad. Why not build some safe nuclear power? I know. NIMBY.

Actually, although I may have read the article too hastily, the part about the nuclear power plants sounds very promising.

 

[Op2]

I'm skeptical of this. Technology keeps improving incrementally and I have no doubt things over time will get better and cheaper and more environmentally friendly, etc, but I'm skeptical of "A big, giant advance has been made." Things don't usually work like that.

 

[Op2]

I've always found it amusing that solar energy, which technically is not renewable since there's no new sun growing, is considered renewable, yet fossil fuels that by their very existence are renewable, are considered not renewable.

Fossil fuels are only renewable as long as the Sun is shining. Aren't fossil fuels the remains of things that lived long ago? And everything that lives depends on the Sun for life (except maybe microbes or whatever that rely on energy from inside the Earth, but I don't think those are what end up being fossils and thus fossil fuel).

 

[91Joe95]

Stop making stuff up.

What else am I going to do?

 

[LionJim]

What else am I going to do?

For a start, keep on being yourself.

 

[91Joe95]

Earlier this year, there was a less noticed item about research and progress with solid state batteries.
While this may not be as sexy a topic as nuclear fusion or quantum dot solar arrays, it has the potential to do a lot more toward making our economy electric than people may realize. Batteries that can hold far more charge, recharge much faster, operate in temperature extremes, last many times longer and aren’t combustible would be a big game changer.
If the lab results can be translated into real world application, of course.

I viewed that as having more of an application towards capacitors. While useful, not nearly as revolutionary or game changing as the developers hyped or indicated. I'm no electrical engineer, but that was my interpretation. That doesn't mean it won't be potentially useful.

 

[PS4814]

I was intrigued by the small modular (nuclear) reactor design I heard about a few years back. But I have no real working knowledge of the industry so no idea if it is worth it and/or still being developed.

 

[91Joe95]

For a start, keep on being yourself.

I'm not sure that is the best course of action.

 

[Cletus11]

I've always found it amusing that solar energy, which technically is not renewable since there's no new sun growing, is considered renewable, yet fossil fuels that by their very existence are renewable, are considered not renewable.

that is just dumb. like earth is flat and anti-vaccine type internet non-scientific dumb. Fossil fuels are finite as teh length of time to make them from living things is centuries, so in essence they are finite at the current usage rate. that would be like saying that you have a faucet at a drip per minute so what is the point of looking for new water sources as you have water. not enough fossil fuel to last forever. not sure why some people hate renewables so much. i think teh green new deal is dumb as you cannot convert to renewables at the snap of a finger. but the migration to renewables is something that is required as humans evolve and get smarter and both develop new technology and see what is happening to the earth. Not sure why/how that basic concept has gotten so warped by politicians.

 

[nits74]

I've always found it amusing that solar energy, which technically is not renewable since there's no new sun growing, is considered renewable, yet fossil fuels that by their very existence are renewable, are considered not renewable.

Well, technically without the sun they're not renewable either. But then again, will it matter then?

 

[83wuzme]

I viewed that as having more of an application towards capacitors. While useful, not nearly as revolutionary or game changing as the developers hyped or indicated. I'm no electrical engineer, but that was my interpretation. That doesn't mean it won't be potentially useful.

The EV industry would immediately be the biggest beneficiary of this technology. Imagine doubling the range of a current EV while cutting the charge time in half and extending the battery life fivefold. If it works.
Most industry experts think this is 5 - 10 years away at current development pace.

 

[heckmans]

Seriously though.....don't we need multiple "clean" energy supplies to maintain our grid through catastrophic events? As a crazy example, say we go all solar and one of those super volcanoes erupts and we don't see the sun for a long time. Wouldn't having a good supply of nuclear energy be a great plan? How many nuclear plants are left in this country? How many are ancient? Doesn't anyone think we've learned a lot from the minor disaster known as TMI? Or the more major disasters like Chernobyl or Fukushima? And if the Gates plants are using waste anyway, why not put it to use instead of burying it in a cave somewhere?

The sun doesn't always shine. The wind doesn't always blow. Fossil fuels are bad. Why not build some safe nuclear power? I know. NIMBY.

If a volcano blocks the sun for a "long time," electricity is going to be the least of your worries.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

On rainy, cloudy, snowy, or otherwise no sun days, do the workers at the cement, steel, glass, etc. plants get a paid or unpaid day off?

They use industrial storage batteries built by Wacker for non leak climate times. These ovens can be deployed above the atmospheric barrier.

 

[BobPSU92]

I'm not sure that is the best course of action.

That’s generating plenty of heat over here.

Be right back.

 

[BobPSU92]

I just realized that this technology will not benefit the vast majority of humans who insist on sticking their head where the sun don’t shine.

 

[Woodpecker]

 

[Global Fan]

See the link below. From the article:

"New York (CNN Business) -- A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet.

Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven — one capable of reaching temperatures that are roughly a quarter of what you'd find on the surface of the sun.

The breakthrough means that, for the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial processes. In other words, carbon-free sunlight can replace fossil fuels in a heavy carbon-emitting corner of the economy that has been untouched by the clean energy revolution.

"We are rolling out technology that can beat the price of fossil fuels and also not make the CO2 emissions," Bill Gross, Heliogen's founder and CEO, told CNN Business. "And that's really the holy grail.""

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/business/heliogen-solar-energy-bill-gates/index.html

Very promising. Let's see if companies are willing to make the investment.

The article goes on to discuss Heliogen's pursuit of customers for their technology. Cement and steel producers are obvious targets. What about athletics? Penn State should be the first to make a sizable investment to make Franklin's hot seat even hotter. Franklin does want state-of-the-art facilities.

I'd like to buy 100 shares. I might be like 100 shares in MIcrosoft back with Gates got started.

 

[walleye38]

See the link below. From the article:

"New York (CNN Business) -- A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet.

Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven — one capable of reaching temperatures that are roughly a quarter of what you'd find on the surface of the sun.

The breakthrough means that, for the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial processes. In other words, carbon-free sunlight can replace fossil fuels in a heavy carbon-emitting corner of the economy that has been untouched by the clean energy revolution.

"We are rolling out technology that can beat the price of fossil fuels and also not make the CO2 emissions," Bill Gross, Heliogen's founder and CEO, told CNN Business. "And that's really the holy grail.""

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/19/business/heliogen-solar-energy-bill-gates/index.html

Very promising. Let's see if companies are willing to make the investment.

The article goes on to discuss Heliogen's pursuit of customers for their technology. Cement and steel producers are obvious targets. What about athletics? Penn State should be the first to make a sizable investment to make Franklin's hot seat even hotter. Franklin does want state-of-the-art facilities.

Any time man screws around with nature he gets burned.

 

[Op2]

Any time man screws around with nature he gets burned.

There is a song that goes:

You cannot go against nature /
Because when you do /
Go against nature /
That's a part of nature too

 

[mn78psu83]

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Scott Walker was fantastic.