Google's Clean Energy 2030

It is my opinion that moving our society's primary energy technologies away from carbon is one of the most urgent actions we need to take in reacting to carbon driven climate change. Solutions for transportation, solutions for households, solutions for industry and commerce.

The Google Blog released an analysis of the challanges presented by creating and deploying new energy technologies and found them to be surmountable and greatly reducing our carbon energy usage. The analysis was led by Dr. Jeffery Greenblatt, Phd, Google's Climate and Energy Technology Manager.

Right now the U.S. has a very real opportunity to transform our economy from one running on fossil fuels to one largely based on clean energy. We are developing the technologies and know-how to accomplish this. We can build whole new industries and create millions of new jobs. We can reduce energy costs, both at the gas pump and at home. We can improve our national security. And we can put a big dent in climate change. With strong leadership we could be moving forward on an aggressive but realistic timeline and an approach that balances costs with real economic gains.

Google's answer is a three front initiative.

The first, reducing demand by doing more with less. Going after what Google calls "the low hanging fruit". Developing and adopting energy efficient technologies and individual practices using less.

The second, develop renewable energy that is cheaper than coal. Wind, solar thermal and advanced geothermal. Google makes the call for massive funding of R&D efforts in these technologies, along with incentives like tax credit's to promote the swiftest adoption of new sources. Also raised, is the importance of putting the real cost of carbon into it's price through the use of carbon cap and trade or a carbon tax.

The third, electrify transportation and re-invent the electric grid. Battery technology is getting very close for the practical production of electric power plants for transportation. Google has a fleet of converted Toyota Prius and Ford Escape plug-in conversions. The converted Prius plug-ins get 90+ MPG. Google calls for a smart grid.

However, to successfully put millions of plug-in cars on the road and fuel them with green electricity, we need a smart grid that manages when we charge and how we're billed. A smart grid could also provide for the two-way flow of electricity, as well as large-scale integration of intermittent solar and wind energy. Much of the technology in our current electrical grid was developed in the 60s and is wasteful and not very smart. We are partnering with GE to help accelerate the development of the smart grid and support building new transmission lines to harness our nation's vast renewable energy resources.

I don't know if 2030 is soon enough, but we have little choice but to make these three initiatives an urgent priority. In order to do that, we must elect candidates who share these goals. While McCain and Palin have given lip service to developing greener energy technologies, I just don't think they have a real comittment to cutting carbon emissions, except as it serves the nuclear power industry (and I think they are a part of the solution) and the "clean coal" industry. The Obama campaign has a much more convincing comittment to developing clean energy, and an understanding that development of those industries is an intergal part of building an infrastructure for the future.