Vinod Khosla talks about his investments in alternate energy in terms of Black Swans.

Speaking during the Reuters Global Environment Summit, Khosla said he hunts for “black swans” in alternative energy — revolutionary and unforeseen ideas that change the world as we know it — and are as unexpected as the birds they are named for.

“There is no such thing as great visionaries,” said Khosla, one of Silicon Valley’s best-known venture capitalists. “There’s a huge dose of luck… we just have to take more shots on goal.”

Khosla said Nassim Taleb, a Wall Street trader-turned-author uses the term “black swan” in a recent book to describe the unpredictable and consequential events in business that can be clearly explained once they happen — such as the current financial crisis.

But the world of technology creates opportunities for “good” black swans, added Khosla, who was dressed in his trademark all-black outfit.

Tom Peters recently talked about Black Swans and what to do when a negative one happens.

If you are interested in Khosla, check out these previous posts- Khosla’s Energy Portfolio, Khosla, the Pragmatist, Changing the rules.