Google has made a humongous announcement -- which goes without saying, since everything Google does is humongous -- of plans to heavily fund R&D of renewable-energy technology, focusing on wind, solar, and geothermal power. Calling the project Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal (or RE<C), Google has an end goal of cleanly produced electricity that's less expensive than dirty-black-rock power -- and "within years, not decades," no less. The company has no intention of being froogle: it will allocate hundreds of millions of dollars total to the project, and tens of millions in 2008 alone. The Google motto, "Don't be evil," never seemed so apt.
Google Dolls
Google funds R&D to make clean energy cheaper than coal 6
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Posted 2:31 PM on 27 Nov 2007
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WWAGD?! Posted 3:59 pm
27 Nov 2007
What Happened To "Local"
Why is it that all the Green Rules go out the door when it comes to huge technology companies?
How come Grist goes on and on about "local farming" and "local energy production" but a humongazoid knowledge monster like Google gets all the praise in the world?
I think Google's boolean search engine is probably one of the most destructive forces of human knowledge in history. Google is a 1950s style coal fired electric plant, as it munges up locally build information and webpages and makes it fodder for some Google umbrella.
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nycowboy Posted 12:15 am
28 Nov 2007
Let 'em Invest
Everybody knows that Google and the entire internet is overwhelmingly powered by cheap, dirty coal. It's only going to take more energy in the future to expand the internet to keep up for future demand, so it's encouraging to see Google try to make greener choices.
I'd love to see Google get somewheres with this project. Some of the money they spend will go for good things, plus it's great P.R. for the company.
Local is nice, but the internet by it's very nature is not local. But maybe local energy sources can power increasing parts of the internet.
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amazingdrx Posted 1:11 am
28 Nov 2007
Excellent!
Google, the best company to work for, is on the case.
I think they are already working on a way to enable internet sensing and switching to make a distributed renewable grid store it's own power. And a way for consumers with plugin cars and solar panels at home to recharge at work using their own clean kwh, by balancing the accounting over the net.
What Google needs now is members of the team who moniter bloggerel created on this and other sites like it. I think the collective consciousness pulsing over the web has the solution to our energy and climate problems. Google just has to do what it does best, search. And support research and development based on that search.
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sunflower Posted 2:19 am
28 Nov 2007
Search research
People with money do not talk to people without money. It is like we are on two different planets.
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amazingdrx Posted 2:32 am
28 Nov 2007
I hear ya
But I'm not talking to you, hehey. Can't afford it. All Google has to do is hear us.
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PPease Posted 1:26 am
29 Nov 2007
Good for Google
I am usually against big companies because I stereotype them as only caring about profit. In this case I am wrong. I really hope their initiative will bring an end to big coal and oil companies.
I also suggest that if their effort succeeds they could make even grater profits from their investments.
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