I was disappointed when Google gave up. In 2007, the company announced a bold initiative to fight global warming:
Google’s Goal: Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal
Creates renewable energy R&D group and supports breakthrough technologies
Mountain View, Calif. (November 27, 2007) – Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative, known as RE<C, will focus initially on advanced solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. RE<C is hiring engineers and energy experts to lead its research and development work, which will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas. In 2008, Google expects to spend tens of millions on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. As part…
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A particularly eerie aspect of this story is that, gasp, it echoes the Liberal position on coal and renewables and ‘direct action’.
Am I reading this right?
I’ve read it twice and keep coming to the same thought.
What am I missing?
I’m not entirely sure I understand your question Scott. The Liberal position (and I’m assuming you mean the Liberal party of Australia?) is to do nothing. That being the case, then you’re right.
The article also states “But “dispatchable”, they say, means “not solar”.”
That depends. Solar with battery storage IS dispatchable. You can send electricity out of batteries into the grid instantly at the flick of a switch, it’s probably the most dispatchable version there is!
What are you missing? This whole project was measured in money, which is the wrong way to measure progress.
In he end, the true problem is no one wants to face the truth, which is that to ‘save us’ from climate change, everything has to shut down, including Google……