AmiCOUR IP Group News and Opinions

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December 21, 2009 - Former Microsoft executive and Intellectual Ventures founder Nathan Myhrvold made headlines this week when Matt Drudge linked in a reporter's article on  his "Stratoshield" idea for "geoengineering." The controversial invention comprises a unique approach to control global warming by using balloons to hoist a hose up to the stratosphere and then pumping sulfur particles  through the hose in sufficient quantity to block a small amount of sunlight.  Myhrvold claims a surprisingly affordable price tag of about $250 million, and cites the same effect occurring in nature when volcanoes erupt. In 1991, Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines and the resulting sulfur dioxide release formed a water vapor cloud that actually caused the earth to cool a bit.

     Myhrvold is noted for bringing recognized science and industry luminaries together to brainstorm possible solutions to some of the world's most serious problems. In 2006, his inventive teams disclosed the "traveling wave reactor" which is now being commercialized by TerraPower LLC. The company claims the reactors will have "no greenhouse emissions, less waste than current reactors, little or no need for fuel enrichment or reprocessing, and fuel resources that will last for millennia." The reactors will run on the U238 waste from existing nuclear power plants, which represents about 95 percent of the current radioactive waste products. TerraPower nuclear reactors are planned for deployment by 2020.  The concept was recognized by MIT as one of this year's top 10 emerging technologies.

     More recently, Intellectual Ventures has been active in brainstorming "geoengineering" solutions, but admits to the potential controversy and "misunderstandings" associated with this area of research. The IV web site's tag cloud shows "climate science" as drawing the most attention. IV's October 21 publication argues, "There are many historic examples of how humans have used technology to change geological systems. From using fire to drive game to building irrigation for agriculture, seeding clouds during droughts, reversing the Chicago River to building the Hoover dam, the term can encompass all sorts of ideas."  In addition to Stratoshield, IV has proposed the Salter Sink, a wave powered machine to mix the colder deep ocean water layer with warmer surface water. The company describes its Salter Sink as "delightfully simple and singularly gargantuan."  It isn't entirely clear what happens when heat is transferred to the deeper parts of the ocean.  Concerns have been raised about existing warming causing methane releases, a theory speculators tie to the rapid sinking of ships in the Bermuda triangle and theorized by others as related to the New York "mystery odor" several years ago.

     Indeed, in an economy where fixing major problems is measured in trillions of dollars, a mere quarter of a billion to cool of an overheated planet seems almost too good to be true. These days, the federal "give a penny, take a penny" dish wouldn't notice the difference; but Myhrvold hasn't mentioned heading to Washington to ask for funding. It's more likely he would call the guys who built the Hoover Dam. Like any other idea, the name of the game is moving from intellectual venture to business venture. At least for now, Myhrvold seems headed on the right track.  Read comments.