“I see nuclear as having incredible potential, because of the amount of energy you can get in a small area, and what I think can happen to the economics, with the right innovation. It is one of the important paths to pursue.”

- Bill Gates, In a video broadcast to the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation

Sure, attaching solar panels to roofs, building windmills in backyards or deploying other small-scale energy technologies is a fine idea, Microsoft’s co-founder told a packed auditorium at the Wired Business Conference: Disruptive by Design.

Trouble is, they can’t significantly aide developing nations thirsty for cheap energy, he said.

“If you’re interested in cuteness, the stuff in the home is the place to go. If you’re interested in solving the world’s energy problems, it’s things like big [solar projects] in the desert.”

For an example of a big energy solution, read up on the world’s largest solar thermal power booster being added to an existing coal-fired power plant in Australia. This Kogan Creek project boosts the coal plant’s output with 44MW solar power from an AREVA Solar booster, and avoids 36,000 tons of carbon emissions every year.

Bill Gates is also an outspoken supporter of nuclear energy as an important energy option and, as described by Green Tech, “Gates is putting his money where his mouth is. He is an investor in his friend Nathan Myrhvold’s nuclear reactor startup Terrapower, which is designing one such next-generation nuclear reactor”

… as for cute …

This speech has been getting noticed ever since literally the moment it occurred, being tweeted and covered by various press…but the TED folks just put the video up.

Here is a key quote (with bolding being from us):

“So let’s look at this fourth factor — this is going to be a key one — and this is the amount of CO2 put out per each unit of energy. And so the question is, can you actually get that to zero? If you burn coal, no. If you burn natural gas, no. Almost every way we make electricity today, except for the emerging renewables and nuclear, puts out CO2. And so, what we’re going to have to do at a global scale, is create a new system. And so, we need energy miracles.

Now, when I use the term miracle, I don’t mean something that’s impossible. The microprocessor is a miracle. The personal computer is a miracle. The internet and it’s services are a miracle. So, the people here have participated in the creation of many miracles.”