The logo above is known as the “Steelmark” logo, it is used by the American Iron and Steel Institute to promote the US Steel industry. Why the heck am I posting it here? Because today I came across a very exciting news article, it seems that Bill Gates is backing a business start-up that has found a way to make steel and cement using solar power/energy alone!

(!) Wow. The next question is how?

A very brief thumbnail sketch.

OK, it’s obvious that in theory we could make steel on the surface of the sun. Just chuck in iron, nickel, and carbon, then fish out the metallic blob, right?

Yeah, not so much.

Let’s face it, we will always need to make stuff, and we will need plants and workers that create the raw materials upon which our civilization depends. Steel and cement are two of the basics, and at the moment their production relies entirely upon fossil fuels. Why? Well, to make either steel or cement you need very high temperatures, and this could only be done in the past by creating high temperatures most efficiently reached using coal, etc.

Bill Gates’ startup has figured out how to create the same high temperatures needed for industry by using mirrors to concentrate solar energy and AI to control the process for maximum efficiency. It looks as if it is possible to have your cake and eat it, too.

The heat and energy needed to make the stuff we need- the code has been cracked.

Apparently the necessary temperatures were reached on the first day the experimental plant went on-line. This speaks to very sound engineering and well-thought out theory.

Maybe you all don’t find this exciting, but I certainly do.

We need steel. We will continue to need steel into the foreseeable future. Therefore we will need plants, steelworkers, and all the associated infrastructure. This technology holds amazing potential world-wide.

I would have expected this type of thing from Elon Musk, but it looks as if Mr. Gates preferred to remain a sleeper and keep this close-hold.

This is the type of stuff I want to see in the news; simply excellent!