As my family can attest, admitting when I am wrong has never been easy for me; but I feel it is important that I share a recent, if rather late, realization I had. Before attending the Techonomy Climate event in March, I didn't fully understand the scope and importance of the climate crisis. I am sharing my experience and perspective in the hopes that I may inspire some of my like-minded peers to grasp not only the urgency of this issue but also the tremendous business opportunities it holds. Like many of my friends and colleagues, my sense of purpose has always lain with the protection and prosperity of my family, friends and employees. I think this worldview is both natural and understandable.

New invention hailed as the "Holy Grail" of solar energy and "game changer" for the planet A Bill Gates-backed startup just announced a technological breakthrough in solar energy that could finally put fossil fuel to rest. The clean energy company Heliogen has developed a solar oven that reach temperatures a quarter as hot as the surface of the sun. That means solar energy just became powerful enough to fuel industrial processes it couldn't touch before. Until now, the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial materials could not be generated efficiently by solar. But now, the scientists at Heliogen have figured out how to create a 1000-degree-celcius solar oven with a field of mirrors all aimed at a single point.

New York (CNN Business)A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet. Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius. This is an existential issue for your children, for my children and our grandchildren." Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven -- one capable of reaching temperatures that are roughly a quarter of what you'd find on the surface of the sun. The breakthrough means that, for the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial processes. In other words, carbon-free sunlight can replace fossil fuels in a heavy carbon-emitting corner of the economy that has been untouched by the clean energy revolution. "We are rolling out technology that can beat the price of fossil fuels and also not make the CO2 emissions," Bill Gross, Heliogen's founder and CEO, told CNN Business. Heliogen, which is also backed by billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, believes the patented technology will be able to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industry. "Bill and the team have truly now harnessed the sun," Soon-Shiong, who also sits on the Heliogen board, told CNN Business. "The potential to humankind is enormous.

New York (CNN Business)A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet. Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius. This is an existential issue for your children, for my children and our grandchildren." Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven -- one capable of reaching temperatures that are roughly a quarter of what you'd find on the surface of the sun. The breakthrough means that, for the first time, concentrated solar energy can be used to create the extreme heat required to make cement, steel, glass and other industrial processes. In other words, carbon-free sunlight can replace fossil fuels in a heavy carbon-emitting corner of the economy that has been untouched by the clean energy revolution. "We are rolling out technology that can beat the price of fossil fuels and also not make the CO2 emissions," Bill Gross, Heliogen's founder and CEO, told CNN Business. Heliogen, which is also backed by billionaire Los Angels Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, believes the patented technology will be able to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industry. "Bill and the team have truly now harnessed the sun," Soon-Shiong, who also sits on the Heliogen board, told CNN Business. "The potential to humankind is enormous.