What a market leader and major dealer in capital does publicly with their money is revealing. One of the things I admire about Microsoft is that through their Labs and Research initiatives, they’ve done a lot of good work in fields only tangentially connected with Microsoft markets. Google has some initiatives of their own (if you didn’t know), and green power has been among their favored funding targets for a few years now.
Recently they’ve decided that solar power isn’t efficient enough. Well spotted, Google! They must have Binged it. Of course, they’re no stranger to the green. They’ve got millions invested in renewable energy, two solar power firms in particular (eSolar and BrightSolar), but they’re also calling for backup from the government and other major investors. Their goal is to halve (at least) the cost of solar energy production facilities.
To be precise, their goal is “sub 5 cents a kilowatt hour,” which, depending on your area and the technology employed, may be as little as a third or a quarter of current solar costs. They’ve got their own research being done internally moving towards improving the mirrors and heliostats used in solar farms; they’re not simply funding research through their investments. Doubtless the companies they’re working with will aid in the prototyping and manufacture of whatever Google cooks up, having facilities for that purpose already. There’s no timeline yet — they’re letting science take its course.
The news, or rather clarification of Google’s position since it was no secret they were interested in this technology, came at the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit, where Google’s green man Bill Weihl spoke on their goals and the state of the green energy industry. There wasn’t much to announce, since they’re only planning to show some tech internally in a few months — Weihl did indicate that this was a long-term commitment on Google’s part, though far from sufficient to create lasting change.
Their total contribution may be around $100m, but they’re hoping the government might shell out $20-$30bn over the next decade to move things forward. You and everybody else, Bill.
[via Treehugger; image source]
when I greenlight these solar projects it makes me feel better about gassing up the ole 737 to fly to a remote atoll to view the eclipse.
LOL. Utility companies like PG&E have been proving for decades that solar power is not cost effective (money loser). The green movement is a madoff level con designed to scam the government out of its tax money, and its power. Wake up losers, waste your own money on this crap bs, hands off our tax money bitch.
Yes, solar power is not cost effective because we have not improved it to the point where it is effective. Should we just keep burning coal?
Way to go Google!; You’ve done it again. :)
Happy that Google spends its millions for social welfare that too in solar power. Really it is a good initiative.
Reductions in solar energy production facilities will give great benefits. It would be a grand success if government too clubs with Google.
Admiring Microsoft? on the Informartion Gigoloogle HQ? be careful, you wil be fired from techcrunch soon!
I didn’t say I admire their operating system – though I use it. :)
What is so wrong about admiring Windows when you use it? It’s the most complex piece of software ever created by man, requiring tens of thousands of programmers several years to create. Yet there’s this stigma among the tech elite that they can’t appreciate this and must demean it.
It’s … a complicated relationship between the Windows user and his machine. I’m sure you know that.
I’d say that it’s “impressive” but I don’t “admire” it. Really though, I’m just a word nerd so take it however you want. I love my XP though.
Devin the only thing complicated about your relationship with windows is that you don’t understand what an OS is, so you regurgitate others opinions, and do not think for yourself. Stop being such a coward.
and whose opinion did I regurgitate this time?
Great move, we will add Google on out green companies list on http://www.cleantech-europe.com !
I am sure Kleinerperkins helping them to go greenish :-)
I really admire google for moving forward with the green initiative. It may cost much to make this happen now, but it will pay for itself and much more in the future. I’m so glad that someone put me on to techcrunch! I’m such a nerd!
Audacious goal.
Think this isn’t disruptive?
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html
Think again.
Great chart, I’m going to add that to the post if you don’t mind.
Go Washington! Lowest prices in the country.
Sorry Devin, Idaho’s cheaper.
Why is Hawaii so expensive? Solar potential galore!
damn!!!
Nuclear Power. If the Feds want to stop sending trillions overseas to fund terror, 5-10 years, 15 new nuclear power plants, charge the cars with electricity and we’re home free.
any other alternative, and the Saudis will enjoy our dollars for 50 – 100 years to come.
Nuclear power? No thanks. Not until they get betavoltaic technology developed enough to make use of the radioactive wastes.
Why can’t we just shoot it into the sun?
For the moment (in my own doofus mind) I’m willing to put aside any other corporate crap of G and MS, and pat both on the back a little just for doing some green good. For the moment, it doesn’t matter WHY it gets done, it’s THAT it gets done. We need all the help we can get.
I have studied the solar energy for a couple years now trying to do the same thing. Cut the prices in half. The only way that possible could be done is either manufacturing the silicone crystals and slicing them yourself or by buying the solar cells individually and developing your own low cost panels made out of something cheaper then aluminium and able to withstand hail the size of softballs. The installers will have to work directly with the manufactures to cut costs. But yes it can be done. But going green means other types of energy’s as well such as wind generators and the other areas that I have thought about why don’t we make our tread mills to produce energy as well as our stationary bicycles. I figured a way that a bike could produce up to 2000 watts or actually more. Most homes on the average use 1200 KW per month which means there won’t be so many fat people if they know the money they save today will buy them a pizza tomarrow. I just think Google needs to look at the whole picture and not just one side.
Alan – your post makes me wonder if maybe we are over-engineering panels. In the San Francisco Bay Area we never get “hail as big as softballs”. (OK, we do get earthquakes…) Maybe different types of panel designs for different geographical areas? Manufacturers would like one-size-fits-all for economies of scale reasons, but maybe much lower costs could be achieved with tailored versions. I know this is being done with air conditioning (for high humidity vs. low humidity areas). Comments??
thats good .. Go green everyone … After all its frm Google ..
Efficient solar power is called “farming”. Someone at Google must have heard of it, because it’s very easy to see these “farms” using Google Maps.
You sell the good part of your crops to make money and pay the bills, then compost the rest to make biogas, which is almost-free power.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Biogas? As good as it ever was. I remember reading about it in The Mother Earth News in 1972.
Why are we lagging on these and similar solutions, plz?! Go Goog!
Just Bing it everyone
The solar power will be more important.
Brilliant!
Solar energy is ample available and we need proper affordable technology !
GOOGLE is always an innovative and successful org.
I think they can do this.
I appreciate the google’s step for our future.
Best wishes from me.
I’m really eager to see what develops from this.