TECH GIANTS FORM SUPERGROUP: HOW SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE BANDING TOGETHER TO ADVANCE RENEWABLE ENERGY

It has long been thought that the middle class is the socioeconomic group that effect change on a large scale regarding issues that affect the masses. The recent actions of the Tech community is starting to change that perception.

Coming just in front of a major UN global climate change conference in Paris this week, the “Breakthrough Energy Coalition”, which is a grouping of who’s who in the world of technology, have announced the launch of their organization. This group, which contains some pretty heavy hitters such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg, to name a few, have come together for a common goal: investing in the field of renewable energy technologies.

This collection of innovators believe that there is not enough being done to move clean energy technology forward through research and development. As I wrote in my article about Bill Gates and his quest to change the way the world uses energy, Gates has stated that a “miracle” on the level of the invention of the automobile would be necessary to help meet projected energy needs by 2030. This coalition is designed to do just that.

The Breakthrough Energy Coalition says it will look at startup companies that have innovative ideas on how to move the world towards zero emissions and complete sustainability. The investments will cover many different areas. From transportation to electricity generation, they intend on moving forward various technologies that will impact the world.

It has not been revealed how much the Coalition intends to invest but based on the fact that many of the group’s members are worth billions of dollars, it will most likely be an astronomical amount.

The timing of the announcement coming just prior to the global climate change meeting in Europe, is getting the publicity that the group desires. It echoes the sentiments expressed in the video below by Gates, that there is only so much the world’s governments can accomplish without private investments like what is expected to come from this group.

This year has been huge for the advancement of renewable energy

Earlier this year Dow Chemical announced it would utilize a wind farm to generate electricity for its Texas manufacturing plant, while Walmart has a huge investment for solar panels. I previously wrote about Apple and Google signing enormous renewable energy contracts for solar and wind respectively. This coalition appears to be the pinnacle of a very active year for the renewable revolution.

With continuous advancements towards sustainability and efficiency, it appears to be simply a matter of time before we stubble across a major breakthrough. With tech giants like the ones previously mentioned, we should be in good hands.

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Matt Helland

SVP – N.A.E.A.

Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/
http://www.wired.com/
http://www.forbes.com/