Bill Gross made his fortune in the Silicon Valley, creating his Idealab business incubator and launching start-ups like GoTo.com. Now Gross has turned his attention to renewable energy, and in a big way. He has founded the electric car company, Aptera, and created Energy Innovations, which is developing advanced photovoltaic technology. But his biggest success to date is eSolar, which builds industrial-scale solar power plants. Using sophisticated software and imaging technology, eSolar deploys tens of thousands of mirrors to focus the sun’s rays on a water-filled boiler that heats steam to create electricity. The company has signed deals to build major solar installations, including one in China that will generate electricity equivalent to the output of two large nuclear power plants. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Gross discusses the future of solar energy, his relationship with Google, and how to keep solar power from spreading into pristine desert.
Interview: A Software Entrepreneur Makes a Foray Into Green Energy
More From E360
-
Food & Agriculture
In Uganda, Deadly Landslides Force an Agricultural Reckoning
-
Energy
Why U.S. Geothermal May Advance, Despite Political Headwinds
-
Food & Agriculture
In War Zones, a Race to Save Key Seeds Needed to Feed the World
-
Climate
Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North?
-
RIVERS
A Win for Farmers and Tribes Brings New Hope to the Klamath
-
Solutions
Deconstructing Buildings: The Quest for New Life for Old Wood
-
NATURAL DEFENSES
How Restored Wetlands Can Protect Europe from Russian Invasion
-
Solutions
Birds vs. Wind Turbines: New Research Aims to Prevent Deaths
-
Biodiversity
Cambodian Forest Defenders at Risk for Exposing Illegal Logging
-
OPINION
The ‘Green’ Aviation Fuel That Would Increase Carbon Emissions
-
Solutions
Out of the Wild: How A.I. Is Transforming Conservation Science
-
Energy
China’s Mega Dam Project Poses Big Risks for Asia’s Grand Canyon