Now that Donald Trump has been elected, many environmentally-conscious folks are concerned about the future of alternative energy in the United States.
Trump appears to be serious about following through on campaign promises to focus on fossil fuels. He has taken steps like appointing a climate-change denier to run the Environmental Protection Agency and he told an interviewer recently that "nobody really knows" if climate change is a permanent condition or if it’s some other factor that is causing global temperatures to climb slowly higher.
Many of the world’s top billionaires got together in 2015 to form the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, an organization dedicated to advancing alternative power sources at the expense of fossil fuels.
Notable members of the coalition include billionaires Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, Jack Ma, and Richard Branson. The Saudi royal family is also involved.
On Monday the organization announced it would be launching a 20-year $1-billion investment fund called Breakthrough Energy Ventures. It will finance "emerging energy breakthroughs that can deliver affordable and reliable zero carbon emissions."
Ventures isn’t a charitable organization. It exists to make money for its investors. Other investing criteria include looking for new technology that can really make a difference, and giving cash to companies that wouldn’t qualify for traditional investments from other venture capital firms.
Sectors the fund will likely invest in include electricity generation and storage, as well as transportation, agriculture, and new technology.
