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Musk’s $100 Million Prize Is for Tech the World Desperately Needs

Past comments suggest Musk hopes to lower the price of direct-air carbon capture so it can be used to make cheap zero-emission rocket fuel

Spacex founder Elon Musk celebrates after the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Spacex founder Elon Musk celebrates after the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America
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Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is donating $100 million toward a prize for the “best carbon capture technology.”

Carbon capture is, in fact, a broad mix of technologies with the same aim: collecting carbon dioxide so it doesn’t escape into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. The greenhouse gas can be captured from power plants and factories, or even directly from the air.