Breakthrough Energy Coalition
Breakthrough Energy Coalition is a global group of 28 high net worth investors from 10 countries committed to funding clean energy companies emerging from the initiatives of Mission Innovation, which was also announced at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[1]
History
In November 2015, the group announced that it would aim to bolster governmental assistance in renewable energy such as solar energy and wind power to $20 billion.[2]
In December 2016, a group of investor's collectively with personal worth of US$170 billion announced more personal commitment to funding the efforts of a US$1 billion fund to "focused on fighting climate change by investing in clean energy innovation." The fund is named Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund.[3]
Members
The group is spearheaded by Bill Gates, who previously announced a personal $2 billion investment,[4] and includes:[5][6]
- Jeff Bezos
- Marc Benioff
- Richard Branson
- Reid Hoffman
- Jack Ma
- George Soros
- Tom Steyer
- Meg Whitman
- Mark Zuckerberg
- University of California was the sole institutional investor at launch.[7]
- Nat Simons
Criticism
There has been criticism that the coalition was announced too early, before crucial details has been confirmed. At launch, a Gates Foundation spokesman confirmed that investment professionals had yet to be appointed, named investors - other than Gates - hadn't publicly stated their level of investment and a financial structure hadn't been confirmed.[8]
The scale, at US$20bn of public cash over five years and the initial US$2bn of private cash, has also been criticised as inadequate: the World Bank suggests that US$100bn would be needed annually.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "Announcing: "Mission Innovation"". The White House. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ↑ Milman, Oliver (30 November 2015). "Zuckerberg, Gates and other tech titans form clean energy investment coalition". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ↑ http://qz.com/859860/bill-gates-is-leading-a-new-1-billion-fund-focused-on-combatting-climate-change-through-innovation/
- ↑ Chhabra, Esha. "Bill Gates Rallies With Tech Leaders To Launch A Multi-Billion Dollar Energy Fund". Forbes. Forbes, Inc. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ↑ Lapowsky, Issie. "Tech Billionaires Team Up to Take On Climate Change". Wired. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ↑ Bellware, Kim. "World's Tech Giants Team Up For Mega Investment In Clean Energy". The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post Media Group. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ↑ Green, Emily (29 November 2015). "UC joins Bill Gates’ clean-energy investment initiative". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ↑ Primack, Dan. "Bill Gates' Clean Energy Plan Isn't Ready for Primetime". Fortune. Time, Inc. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ↑ Davenport, Coral; Wingfield, Nick (8 December 2015). "Bill Gates Takes On Climate Change With Nudges and a Powerful Rolodex". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 December 2015.