Google Inc wages war against 'dirty energy'

Oct 21, 2009 (The Economic Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GOOG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- William E Weihl is at war with coal and other such sources of "dirty energy". He leads the clean energy initiative at Google, with a mandate to put the zing in renewable energy research by bringing the Silicon Valley spirit of innovation into the niche segment. Google's founders also want him to minimise the carbon footprint of the $174-billion giant which runs 300 million web searches a day across an estimated 4,50,000 servers around the world. At Google, Weihl is called The Energy Czar, and his clean energy strategy could be summed up in a deceptively simple formula: RE-|C, that is, renewable energy costs less than coal. Excerpts from an e-mail interview with ET.

QUESTION: What's a software firm doing with solar thermal technology? What's the logic of Google getting into the clean energy business?

ANSWER: Google is committed to building a clean energy future and most of our work in this area is sponsored by our philanthropic arm, Google.org. We see an opportunity to drive more rapid innovation in the clean energy sector and we're particularly focused on driving down costs dramatically. In 2007 we launched RE-|C, an initiative to create utility-scale renewable energy at a cost that is cheaper than coal.

Q: Almost 70-80 percent of India's power comes from coal-fired plants. The shift to cleaner sources is happening, but it's painfully slow, mainly because of the cost factor that would make Indian products less competitive. Does your research have any specific emphasis on countries like India?

A: Our RE-|C initiative is focused on advancing technology that will produce clean energy at a cost that is lower than coal. If we're successful in this endeavour, any technology we help develop should be useful in any place that has adequate solar, wind, or geothermal resources.

Q: How will India stand to benefit from your research? Are you keen on transferring technologies to the emerging economies? Do you seed fund clean energy initiatives?

A: If we're successful, we hope that all countries will benefit from our clean energy research, investment, and advocacy work. However, we are not currently funding clean energy initiatives in India, specifically.

Q: How do you explain this trend that digital companies are in the forefront of green energy initiatives while the big polluters in the manufacturing sector look the other way?

A: Google draws power from the same electricity grid as everyone else, which means we have limited options for affordable, utility-scale renewable energy. Like other businesses, we are currently dependent on fossil fuels and want to have as many options as possible when choosing how we power our operations. We thus see a long-term corporate benefit to our investment in clean energy research.

Q: In the Indian context, which specific green technologies do you think the country's policy-makers should promote, and why? Alternatively, do you think arbitrage-prone measures such as cap-and-trade will have any significant impact in reducing emissions in countries like China and India?

A: It is my understanding that some areas of India have substantial solar resources, and some have substantial wind resources as well. I do not know whether enhanced geothermal might be viable in India, but it is possible that it could be. I do think that putting a price on greenhouse-gas emissions could play a significant role in reducing emissions in the future, including in China and India.

Q: What is the biggest stumbling block towards the development of new energy?

A: In the United States I think many people do not understand the key role that public money can play in driving innovation. Developing low-cost renewable energy technology requires a strong financial commitment to clean energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) to achieve big breakthroughs.

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