Chapter 927 Solar City

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Simon returned to Los Angeles to roughly deal with all aspects of Daenerys Entertainment's accumulated work during this period. On Wednesday, May 8th, he set off again for San Francisco to host an interview with the FusionTimes team and other affairs in the Bay Area.

After several months of continuous interviews, the frameworks of the three companies, FusionTime, SolarCity and SpaceX, were basically completed. Among them, FusionTimes and SolarCity are located in Silicon Valley, and SpaceX is located in Los Angeles.

The fastest-moving SpaceX has begun designing and manufacturing the team's first rocket.

FusionTimes is the most difficult. The team will be based in the Eagle Park in Mountain View in a short period of time. In the early stage, they will mainly be engaged in theoretical research. After the construction of the headquarters of FusionTimes is completed, the actual construction of the nuclear fusion reactor will be carried out.

As for SolarCity, among the three companies, this company that focuses on solar power generation seems to have the lowest technical connotation, but Simon's attention is not low at all. Because this company is the most promising project among the three companies to achieve sustainable commercial operation in a relatively short period of time.

Speaking of which, the former SolarCity was actually a photovoltaic product distribution company established by Musk’s cousin. Because the one-time installation of photovoltaic power generation systems is too expensive, SolarCity has developed a new business model, renting and selling, first for users. Install a solar power generation system, and then collect fees in the form of electricity rent, and the user's power generation system can also sell excess electricity through the Internet.

In fact, the electricity cost of this business model is not lower than that of the general grid. The key is that it has the gimmick of clean energy, and it can indeed solve the electricity consumption problem of residents in some remote areas, so it has achieved success and attracted a large number of followers. Enter.

Simon also thinks this business model is very good, but his ambitions are definitely more than that.

Mountain View, Eaglegate Campus.

In a conference room at SolarCity's headquarters, the interview with FusionTimes was completed in the morning. After lunch, Simon came here. At this time, he was discussing with SolarCity's five-member core scientific research team on the long-term plan of the newly formed company.

The core scientific research group deals with the chief scientist system of many enterprises or scientific research institutions.

Simon initially considered that all three companies adopt the chief scientist system, but gave up after repeated consideration.

One person is short.

Moreover, although Simon is an elitist, he still believes in the power of teamwork. Therefore, the three companies have adopted the structure strategy of core scientific research groups. At present, the core scientific research groups of the three companies are all five people, and not all Top researchers, including executives like FusionTimes' Emmanuel Brandt.

Because the core of the positioning of the three companies is a commercial company, which is profit-seeking, which is also the basis for Simon to determine that such companies can develop rapidly but in the long-term after thinking for a long time. Since it is a commercial company, it must pay attention to cost control and business management. Simon will not let a group of scientists squander their property wildly, and everything must be controllable.

Therefore, on the FusionTimes side, after Emmanuel Brandt offered to join, Simon quickly agreed, and directly appointed the girl as the president of FusionTimes and a member of the core scientific research team. Compared with Simon, even if he has tried hard to read a lot of information, he is still only a layman. Emmanuel, who has a doctorate in particle physics, is much more professional than him.

Moreover, what Simon values ​​most is Emmanuel's business thinking.

Both knowledgeable and proficient in business management, it is perfect to be responsible for such a project.

On the SpaceX side, Simon is naturally Elon Musk trained according to such talents. However, before that, Simon could not wait for Musk to grow up, so according to memory, he recruited Gwen Shotwell, the president of the original SpaceX in time and space.

Still a woman.

Although she is a woman, Gwen Shotwell, like Emmanuel Brandt, has a high IQ and a high degree of education. Gwen Shotwell, 33, has a mechanical engineering and application degree from Northwestern University in the United States. He has a double master's degree in mathematics, and has joined a NASA-affiliated aerospace company for eight years since 1988, with an excellent work experience.

Historically, Gwen Shotwell joined SpaceX in 2002 and became Musk's right-hand man, mainly responsible for the day-to-day operations of SpaceX. If Musk’s ideas guide SpaceX’s corporate culture, then it’s Gwen Shotwell who really turned those ideas into reality.

Although it was six years earlier, 33 years old, in Simon's view, is even more of a golden age for a person.

Therefore, Simon directly appointed Gwen Shotwell as the president of SpaceX and a member of SpaceX's core scientific research team.

Since both of them are like this, SolarCity will simply ask for completeness.

The person in charge is also a woman named Daniela Greenwater, 31 years old this year. Not only does she have a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from MIT, but according to the other party, she also took time to read an MBA from Harvard University. Before being recruited by Simon to SolarCity, this young girl with short brown hair and short temperament wearing glasses was thinking about leaving the US National Renewable Energy

Yuan Lab, intends to start a business in Silicon Valley, and also plans to set up a photovoltaic product research and development company.

Facing the opportunity given by Simon, Daniela Greenwater gave up her plan to join SolarCity, but she didn't expect to be named the president of SolarCity, so she dared to test whether a guy had other plans for her. She is a big beauty, but Daniela's appearance and figure are more than 70 points.

Simon said yes.

Daniela immediately felt relieved, and the man's words had to be listened to the other way around.

All right.

"First of all, the first question, does anyone know when the earliest history of photovoltaics can be traced back?"

In the conference room, Daniela Greenwater did not expect Simon to mention this issue first. Many people are quite disgusted by the chapters on the history of related technology development that often start with the opening of many professional textbooks. In 1839, the 19-year-old French scientist Ermond Becquerel first discovered the photovoltaic effect of silver chloride liquid, and made the first photovoltaic cells."

"Very well," Simon stood in front of a whiteboard in front of the conference room, wrote a number '1839' with a pen, and then wrote a number '1996', "From 1839, when the photovoltaic effect was discovered to Now, in 1996, 157 years have passed, how do you feel?"

Several people looked at each other, and after a while, Daniela Greenwater finally said: "157 years, all wasted."

Simon tapped lightly on the whiteboard with a pen, nodded, glanced at the other people, and said, "So Danny is the president, and you are not."

The other three men and one woman couldn't help but roll their eyes slightly.

In fact, the employees of the three companies did not have much opinion on the three women as the heads.

Because, in the three companies, except for a few non-staff scientists who serve as consultants, all other regular employees are under the age of 35, and they are all young people. Therefore, there is not a lot of seniority ranking in the R&D departments of large enterprises or government laboratories. Moreover, Simon personally promised everyone that if the three did not do well, they would be taken down soon. Similarly, if the others performed well, they would also be personally promoted by him.

Simon also ignored the eyes of several people and continued: "In 157 years, alternating current, semiconductors, fossil energy, etc. have been applied on a large scale in our lives, but photovoltaic technology has always been limited to a small number of fields, In my opinion, this is actually a waste. The energy of human society basically comes from the sun. We have been ignoring this most direct application. Instead, we continue to consume the fossil energy accumulated and transformed by the earth over hundreds of millions of years. It's a very serious and myriad of attempts. I founded SolarCity with the hope that our use of energy will get back on track."

After listening to Simon's remarks, several people around the conference table nodded slightly.

Simon paused for a while and continued: "Then, let's get to the point. With 157 years of accumulation, all the mainstream photovoltaic materials that should be discovered have actually been discovered, as well as related peripheral technologies. Therefore, my hope for everyone is definitely not. Start all over again. I hope that the first thing you do is an integration, an integration of the application of photovoltaic technology on a global scale. I know what you are thinking, it is certainly not easy for other people, but not for me problem, because I have enough money to support you in this integration."

Everyone laughed, but also understood that this was the truth.

The so-called integration, to put it bluntly, is the integration of technology. When it comes to technology, it must involve a large number of patent issues. Whether it is direct acquisition or licensing, it requires a lot of money. At this stage, someone may have the financial strength, but given the potential return, or the obvious possibility of a poor operation, many people will not do so.

This is not a problem for Simon.

Even if it does cost billions of dollars to waste, some super-rich won't be hurt.

On the stage, Simon continued, saying: "Of course, the integration I'm talking about is not just the integration of photovoltaic products. I hope that after you conduct research on related industries, you can build a system from photovoltaic material production to final product waste disposal. Complete closed-loop. For many people, the biggest selling point of photovoltaic products is clean energy, which can reduce pollution caused by fossil fuels. However, everyone actually understands that this statement is a scam when we look deeper, because photovoltaic materials start from production , will not only consume a lot of energy, but also start to cause various pollution, and photovoltaic waste, and battery product waste used to store energy, the pollution caused is even more serious. Since we want to promote photovoltaic products in the name of environmental protection, So, I hope we can really live up to the name as much as possible, not just a gimmick. At least, we want to achieve the harmless treatment of photovoltaic waste and end-of-life batteries.”

While talking, Simon wrote various keywords on the whiteboard: "Completed the technical sorting and integration of the first part, I ask you to carry out deeper research and development on the basis of the existing technology, while integrating a new technology. A set of photovoltaic product operation solutions that can be used for actual commercial operation, of course, also involves the complete industrial chain from material production to waste disposal. I have discussed with you SolarCity's rent-to-sale strategy before, which is a very easy to use The business model of following the trend. However, as long as you can optimize the cost to the extreme and form a complete industrial chain at the same time, then other followers in the future will not be able to pose a threat to SolarCity at all.”

Simon has been at SolarCity since 2pm

The headquarters stayed for two hours, discussed various issues with several core members of the company, and did not leave until four o'clock in the afternoon.

And rushed to the southeast of San Jose, near a small town called Morgan Hill.

FusionTimes has purchased 50 hectares of land here, and has just reached an agreement with the surrounding residents a few days ago to build the headquarters of FusionTimes here.

In fact, it was originally proposed that the headquarters of FusionTimes should be located in Livermore, a city in the east of the Bay Area, near the Livermore Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy. After all, if you want to study controllable nuclear fusion technology, even private companies need to be licensed and regulated by government departments. The Westeros System has reached some technical cooperation agreements with the federal government, setting the FusionTimes headquarters in Liver. Moore, it is easier to communicate with the team at Livermore Labs.

Simon directly chose to refuse.

Because Simon hopes to build a company with the spirit of Silicon Valley, whether it is FusionTimes and SolarCity in the Bay Area, or SpaceX in Los Angeles, Simon hopes that the teams of the three companies can be like Silicon Valley companies, forge ahead and strive for innovation.

In comparison, it is almost the Livermore laboratory in government departments. Of course, Simon does not deny the technical background of these national-level laboratories. However, the rigid system and idle style of these laboratories are also destined to be difficult for them to obtain high-level results. Great technological breakthrough.

In my memory, there are always people who compare the official scientific research institutions in China and the West, and then worry about the loss of top domestic researchers.

Actually it's the same.

Otherwise, the new moon landing program in the United States will not rely on private companies like SpaceX.

It's just that relatively speaking, there are still various large private companies or commercial research institutions in the West that accept top scientific researchers from all over the world, so that they have enough room to play, just like SpaceX, and even after 20 years, it is basically because of the background. Shallow, China has never formed such a soil.

All in all, Simon didn't want the FusionTimes team to get the Livermore Lab's government habits, and of course stay away.

The land that Simon purchased near Morgan Hill is only more than 20 kilometers away from the center of San Jose, and it is basically within the scope of Silicon Valley. In fact, Simon certainly wants to be more core, but the field involved in FusionTimes is sensitive after all, and, It is not easy to buy 50 hectares of land at one time in the core of Silicon Valley.

Mount Morgan, nestled in the valleys southwest of San Jose, happens to be a compromise.

After reading the site selection of FusionTimes and communicating with the architectural design team, Simon stayed overnight in the Bay Area at the end of the day's work, and set off again early the next morning to fly to New York.

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