The Goog will not build a data center in California because of the cost of electricity.
The company has made something on the order of $3/4 billion in clean/green/alt energy investments, some of it in decidedly staid technology. Here they appear to be forecasting breakthroughs.
Google is also one of the largest lobbyists on Capitol Hill.**
From Google's blog:
At Google, we’re committed to using technology to solve one of the greatest challenges we face as a country: building a clean energy future. That’s why we’ve worked hard to be carbon neutral as a company, launched our renewable energy cheaper than coal initiative and have invested in several clean energy companies and projects around the world.Here's the soundbite version.
But what if we knew the value of innovation in clean energy technologies? How much could new technologies contribute to our economic growth, enhance our energy security or reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? Robust data can help us understand these important questions, and the role innovation in clean energy could play in addressing our future economic, security and climate challenges.
Through Google.org, our energy team set out to answer some of these questions. Using McKinsey’s Low Carbon Economics Tool (LCET), we assessed the long-term economic impacts for the U.S. assuming breakthroughs were made in several different clean energy technologies, like wind, geothermal and electric vehicles. McKinsey’s LCET is a neutral, analytic set of interlinked models that estimates the potential economic and technology implications of various policy and technology assumptions.
The analysis is based on a model and includes assumptions and conclusions that Google.org developed, so it isn’t a prediction of the future. We’ve decided to make the analysis and associated data available everywhere because we believe it could provide a new perspective on the economic value of public and private investment in energy innovation. Here are just some of the most compelling findings:
This analysis assumed that breakthroughs in clean energy happened and that policies were put in place, and then tried to understand the impact. The data here allows us to imagine a world in which the U.S. captures the potential benefits of some clean energy technologies: economic growth, job generation and a reduction in harmful emissions. We haven’t developed the roadmap, and getting there will take the right mix of policies, sustained investment in technological innovation by public and private institutions and mobilization of the private sector’s entrepreneurial energies. We hope this analysis encourages further discussion and debate on these important issues.
- Energy innovation pays off big: We compared “business as usual” (BAU) to scenarios with breakthroughs in clean energy technologies. On top of those, we layered a series of possible clean energy policies (more details in the report). We found that by 2030, when compared to BAU, breakthroughs could help the U.S.:
- Grow GDP by over $155 billion/year ($244 billion in our Clean Policy scenario)
- Create over 1.1 million new full-time jobs/year (1.9 million with Clean Policy)
- Reduce household energy costs by over $942/year ($995 with Clean Policy)
- Reduce U.S. oil consumption by over 1.1 billion barrels/year
- Reduce U.S. total carbon emissions by 13% in 2030 (21% with Clean Policy)
- Speed matters and delay is costly: Our model found a mere five year delay (2010-2015) in accelerating technology innovation led to $2.3-3.2 trillion in unrealized GDP, an aggregate 1.2-1.4 million net unrealized jobs and 8-28 more gigatons of potential GHG emissions by 2050.
- Policy and innovation can enhance each other: Combining clean energy policies with technological breakthroughs increased the economic, security and pollution benefits for either innovation or policy alone. Take GHG emissions: the model showed that combining policy and innovation led to 59% GHG reductions by 2050 (vs. 2005 levels), while maintaining economic growth.
Here's the report (28 page PDF)
Previously:
Google Taking a Step Into Power Metering (GOOG)
INDUSTRY: "Why Google and Cisco Will Soon Manage All Your Energy Use" (CSCO; GOOG)
Google Energy Guru Pushes Congress to Insulate America
"Exclusive: Google develops prototype mirror for solar energy" (GOOG)
Financial aspect to Google's environmental goals grows (GOOG)
Google to Move Into Clean Energy Project Investing (GOOG)
More on "Google's Power Play" (GOOG)
"10 Questions for Google on Its Wind Projects" (GOOG)
A follow-up to yesterday's "Wind: "Google Makes First Direct Investment Into Clean Power Project" (GOOG)" upon which my first thought was"Google Buys Wind Power, First Deal for “Google Energy”" (GOOG; ENE)
"Interesting, no? Nothing fancy. Old-fashioned technology+subsidies."
BrightSource Energy Finalizes $1.6 billion in loans guaranteed by the US Department of Energy; Google Buys $168 Millinon Equity Stake (GOOG)
Transmission: Google Announces Plan for $5 Billion Backbone for Offshore Wind Farms (GOOG)
"Google Plans to Announce Smart LED Deal With Lighting Science Group" (GOOG)
Time to Go Long Gallium: Google Ventures Leads $20M Round In Transphorm (GOOG)
Interview: "Google’s Renewable Energy Push" (GOOG)
"...Google’s Trading Desk" (GOOG)
"Google Goes $280M Long On Solar Rooftops With SolarCity" (GOOG)
Google Ventures' next big bet: Weather insurance (GOOG)
*The Cold, Green Facts
See no Evil, Hear no Evil and Evil
Adios California: Adobe, EA Games and Ebay will do Their Expanding in Utah (ADBE; EBAY; ERTS)
**See also:
Google Spent $5.2 Million On Lobbying In 2010; Up 29 Percent From 2009
and from Greenwire, Mar. 9, 2011
Google Recruits Lobbying Muscle to Promote Green-Power Ventures
Google Inc. has launched a lobbying campaign seeking government help spurring a green-technology transformation.
"The way we use energy -- whether it's powering our cars or our homes and businesses -- hasn't changed in decades," Michael Terrell, Google's energy policy counsel, wrote yesterday on the company's blog. "Our economy needs a cleaner, more efficient way of delivering energy while giving people better tools and information to manage their energy use."
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company recruited Crowell Strategies LLC. The consulting firm's lobbyist, Colin Crowell, previously worked as a senior counsel at the Federal Communications Commission and before that as an aide to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
It is the latest venture by Google in the political energy arena. The company already has hired lobbying firms to work on energy efficiency and renewable issues and research & development of smart-grid transmission.
"Electricity is a core issue for them," said Adele Morris, policy director for climate and energy economics at the Brookings Institution. In addition to using large amounts of power, she said, Google is "taking a growing position in electricity markets."
Google last year created the subsidiary Google Energy, which received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval to sell electricity on wholesale markets (E&ENews PM, Feb. 18, 2010)....MORE
