Google’s Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal
Google Press Release
Mountain View, California
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Google announced a new strategic R&D initiative to develop ways to generate electricity from renewable technologies that will be cheaper than electricity generated from burning coal. As a major consumer of electrical power and a desire to be a green corporate citizen, Google projects that the anticipated investment of hundreds of millions of dollars will result in large scale renewable energy generating capabilities and a positive impact on their corporate bottom line.
Larry Page, Google Co-founder and President of Products, said “If we meet this goal and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well.”
“Cheap renewable energy is not only critical for the environment but also vital for economic development in many places where there is limited affordable energy of any kind,” added Sergey Brin, Google Co-founder and President of Technology.
With the goal of developing one gigawatt of electricity (GWe) production capacity that is cheaper than coal, this is an excellent example of the private sector taking the initiative to develop and commercialize existing renewable energy technologies. According to the press release, one GWe could power a city the size of San Francisco.
Also stated in the press release, Google is on track to be carbon neutral for 2007. For more information on Google’s commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewable-energy.
We should all contact Google’s Mr. Page and Mr. Brin and ask for their support and involvement with Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) as a way to help reach their goals. They just might be very receptive to the idea. The video Moon 2.0, which explains the Google Lunar X-Prize, includes a cameo appearance by SBSP!
Citizens for Space Based Solar Power 