Google announced a partnership with General Electric today at the annual Zeitgeist conference in Mountain View that aims to combine resources of the two companies to collectively work on renewable energy sources, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and “smart grid” technology.  In addition, the two companies plan to head to Washington to spread the word of their developments and green technology in general.

Google stated on The Official Google Blog, that they will “focus on improving power generation, transmission and distribution – a combination of technologies that could be known as the “smart grid.”  Google chose GE to “use technology, information and corporate resources to drive the changes necessary to empower consumers with better energy choices.”

Google and GE pointed out the fact that the energy-infrastructure in the US hasn’t evolved much since the day Thomas Edison built the first power plant over a hundred years ago.  By developing a so-called “smart-grid,” homes and businesses could in theory use the “smart grid” to sell energy that they’ve created to power providers when prices are high and to buy energy during times of low demand when prices are low.  The plan is to let consumers and businesses have a say in the way energy is consumed, and to have a better distribution model. 

Instead of simply paying a utility bill each and every month like we’re all used to, and not having any say in what goes on behind the scenes, Google and GE are proposing some lofty ideas.  What if, for example, you had access to real-time information about home energy use?  What if your flat screen TVs, electronic equipment, lights and appliances were programmed to automatically adjust to save money and cut energy use?  What if we could push a button and switch the source of our homes’ electricity from fossil fuels to renewable energy?  What if the car sitting in our garage ran on electricity– the equivalent of $1 per gallon gasoline– and was programmed to charge at night when electricity is cheapest?

The theory is excellent, and if it all came together as planned, it would solve some huge problems we’re all facing, but to accomplish it seems almost insurmountable.  It would take a lot of components coming together perfectly to pull off such a task, not to mention getting everybody to agree to such a drastic change- benefits or not.   I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 9:24 pm under Google, Green Technology.

Read more entries by Justin Montgomery.
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