Green Revolution is About 'Main Tech,' Not Clean Tech
"The new green is about engines, lighting, appliances, batteries, gasoline diesel," investor Vinod Khosla said. "It's not about clean tech, it's about main tech. If you're going to find climate change solutions, it's got to be about main tech."
Silicon Valley Green Investor Vinod Khosla,
Khosla delivered a keynote speech on the first full day of the Always On GoingGreen conference, a three-day event focused on clean technology topics. Khosla, the founding CEO of Sun Microsystems who's risen to green-tech fame by investing in companies through his firm Khosla Ventures, spent a good portion of his talk bashing technologies he believes won't work in the long term, according to cnet reports.
For example, he criticized investor T. Boone Pickens' plan for natural gas-powered cars and targeting only a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions within 10 years. "This planet needs at least 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions. Natural gas is still a fossil fuel. I just don't think it makes sense," Khosla said.
Khosla also estimated that hybrids--versus cars that run on cellulosic fuel, E85--have a larger carbon footprint per mile driven. "It's not that I don't like hybrids--we'll probably look for new investments. But if you're going to change this business, we need to improve batteries," he said. The Tata Nano has sold millions in India, and the Honda Civic Hybrid has sold in thousands. "How do we make this car (the Nano) low carbon at $2,500? The technologies not only have to be fashionable but they have to be relevant at scale," he said.
Khosla makes common sense investments in energy efficiency, biofuels, electricity, and new materials. He is investing in materials like water infrastructure tech, bioplastics, and cement that can sequester carbon. It is also backing companies working on energy-efficient engines, such as EcoMotors.
Posted by Jason McManus.
Comments