The ministry of commerce website 23 news triggered heated debate IT industry and nuclear power industry. The news said that China nuclear industry group (hereinafter referred to as the "nuclear group") recently to terra energy company with the United States (hereinafter referred to as the "terra energy") fourth generation nuclear power plant development agreement.

Cause attention not only because investment is a new nuclear power technology, signed a contract with the nucleus of terra energy company CEO identity also remarkable -- yes, before is 60 years old this year before the worlds richest man, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates.

In fact, investment in new energy Bill Gates, has more than 1 billion dollars. And the investment with nuclear group in the nuclear power project, he had earlier said when speaking in public, if all goes well, its also about 40 years to realize low cost operation of the ideal. To be honest, Bill Gates should all dont know where he was 40 years, then why did he invest in the nuclear power project?

Bill Gates to a new generation of nuclear power technology in China

Public information, tara energy was founded in 2006, is located in the state of Washington. The company founded by Bill Gates to participate in the investment, and personally served as chairman of the board of directors, the company is mainly engaged in research and development of a new nuclear power technology -ll Wave Reactor (hereinafter referred to as the Traveling Wave heap).

Briefly speaking, as the main fuel of nuclear reactor, only about 0.7% of natural uranium isotope of uranium 235 can be used directly, the rest of the large amounts of uranium - 238 was used as a waste treatment, and the traveling wave pile technology is to get the rest of the uranium 238 as the main raw material of nuclear reaction for the application.

With Bill Gates in 2010 of TED speech, tara is doing the project will not go to regular uranium 235 burning, but to burn the remaining 99% of uranium 238, namely the waste of nuclear materials into fuel.

If this technology can security implementation, then the plant will significantly reduce operational costs, the nuclear reaction of raw materials will be enough, at the same time after the reaction is not processing waste, can reduce the proliferation risks.

However, this technology can realize commercial operation, not sure yet. Xiamen university, director of the center for energy of collaborative innovation boqiang Lin told the "daily economic news" reporter, the technology is still in the phase of laboratory, to commercial real ground, may also need to more than twenty years.

Bill Gates is also in the above mentioned in the speech, the construction of a nuclear power plant, also want to let the cost is low, need 20 years to invent technology, and then takes 20 years to perform; Built an ideal plant, you need to raise billions of dollars in cash.

In fact, for the sake of the nuclear power project, Bill Gates has state-owned in contact with the world, it is with China as early as six years ago and in the nuclear group are discussed.

On November 5, 2009, Bill Gates made a special trip to China institute of atomic energy in nuclear group, understand China experimental fast reactor, and the nuclear group company for technical exchange; In June 2011, Bill Gates to tara China on nuclear group and the United States energy cooperation in the field of energy company to negotiate.

In June 2014, Bill Gates visit to Beijing and meet again in the nuclear group chairman Sun Qin, in February, Bill Gates in Beijing with nur bekri, the then deputy director of the national development and reform commission (NDRC), global nuclear power development, the traveling wave pile the in-depth exchange of views on cooperation matters. Also on the same day, Bill Gates and nuclear group chairman Sun Qin in contact.

According to former U.S. ambassador to China Gary Locke said publicly, the nuclear group and terra energy will be in Washington state together to create a new generation of nuclear power plants.

In boqiang Lins view, although the project from the commercial floor also is relatively far away, but the Chinese governments attitude toward nuclear power relatively open, Chinas nuclear power markets also have enough potential, this is all for the cooperation of China and the United States the cause of the fourth generation nuclear power technology projects.

Bill Gates new energy "complex"

In fact, the nuclear power project is Bill Gates, one of many energy projects, investment. According to media reports, in the field of energy, Bill Gates has about 15 companies direct investment, the indirect investment of 30 companies, total investment of about $1 billion, and he plans to green technology to invest $2 billion over the next five years.

In Bill Gatess investment in the energy sector, new energy become a focus. Battery energy storage, the next generation of nuclear power and carbon capture technology, garbage disposal and so on, is Bill Gates invested in field, at the same time, he also likes photochemical energy storage and high altitude wind power technology.

Why Bill Gates in new energy projects? In fact, keen to public welfare undertakings of Bill Gates on the 2010 TED conference speech ever given explanation.

In his view, the energy and climate is very important for people in the poor area, is more important than others on the earth, environmental degradation, climate change will lead to poor areas the crops cant grow, floods droughts occur, resulting in famine and social unrest.

"If you can reduce the price of one thing to reduce poverty, you will be the preferred energy prices. Lower energy prices and carbon emissions reduction, will be very important for human society." Bill Gates said in a speech at the time.

Bill Gates thinks, such as the Copenhagen conference, people should not only discuss emissions of carbon dioxide, also should discuss on energy technology innovation. For improving the environment, reduce carbon dioxide emissions are especially critical, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy is the breakthrough point, and renewable energy and nuclear energy is the development way. "We need to build a new worldwide energy system, we need energy miracles." Gates said in his speech.

The attached:

Bill Gates, part of the new energy investment company (since the interface, the tiger sniff, startup state and other media)

Kior

In October 2013, Khosla is hatching clean energy enterprise Kior announced that they had won a $100 million investment from Khosla and gates.

Kior clean energy enterprise was established in late 2007, was originally Khosla Ventures and biofuel companies from the Netherlands BIOeCON set up joint venture. Kior invented a use of synthetic biology and biological fertilizer plant fuel technology, the biological fuel oil can be used instead of day nearly dried up.

Aquion Energy

In April 2013, the specially developed sodium battery start-up company received a Bill Gates led D round of $35 million in financing. In January 2014, the company announced the gates leading and some shareholders D round amount rise to $55 million.

Of batteries, developed by the company is neither acidic nor alkaline, not flammable and explosive, no corrosive, suitable for cycling, residential use solar, off-grid and micro power grid, energy management and service grid scale, etc.

According to technology site Tech at introduction, the company adopts the aqueous electrolyte and abundant sodium and manganese developed a new type of sodium ion batteries, the price is low, only need $300 per kilowatt hour, less than 1/3 of the lithium ion battery using cost. After the test, charge and discharge cycle of sustainable more than 5000 times, electricity efficiency over 85%.

Carbon Engineering

In 2009, gates and other investors to Carbon Engineering $3.5 million (21.7179 million yuan) as the startup capital of the company.

According to the companys website, Carbon Engineerin developing Carbon capture technology, namely capture Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, compressed buried in mining of coal seam and the place such as oil and gas fields, in order to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The companys machine with sodium carbonate solution to absorb carbon dioxide corrosion, so as to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Company to capture carbon dioxide can be sold for tertiary recovery, or cultivate algae to produce biofuels.

Waste Management,

Waste Management (NYSE: WM) is North Americas largest environmental solutions provider, with the industrys largest recycling facilities, transfer stations and landfill network, has more than 20 customers in the United States and Canada. By the end of 2012, the company operates 138 landfill project, produced by the energy for 500000 homes. The gates foundation has an 4% stake in the company.

LightSail Energy

The company developed a set of compressed air energy storage technology, has a large-scale application, easy to carry, cleaning and using low cost etc. The idea is to make solar energy, wind energy and so on have the characteristics of intermittent power resources can become mainstream, and bring about a revolution in the grid design.

When the compressed air energy storage is the principle of the compressed air energy storage, expands power, using low, not easily such as wind power and solar energy storage power to energy storage, to in time of need, not restricted by geographical conditions.

This article source: daily economic news