Environment

Google invests in sunny gas alternative

by Rob Peters | April 21, 2008 at 08:44 pm

719 views | 4 Recommendations | 8 comments

One positive thing about the rising price of gas is it scares us all environmental. Solar energy doesn't seem like such a far-fetched investment now that gas is $50 a tank. Just ask Google.

Rising oil prices lift all alt-energy boats.

For proof, look no further than the fat $130 million investment scooped up by eSolar, a company whose basic solar power strategy -- using sunlight-reflecting mirrors to generate steam -- was all but abandoned in the 1980s, and has recently recently caught investors' attention again.

The money, from Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org, and venture capital firms Idealab and Oak Investment Partners, will go towards the construction of eSolar's first functioning solar power plant.

"ESolar's long term is to become a viable replacement for all fossil fuel," said Robert Rogan, a Cal Tech Ph.D. and eSolar's executive vice president for corporate development. "The reason Google invested in us is that they saw the potential of this technology to beat the cost of using coal."

"There's hope and optimism but a little bit of skepticism as well," said Ryan Wiser, a renewable energy analyst at Lawrence Berkeley Labs. "No one knows whether the technologies are really cost competitive with other energy alternatives."

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RachieDee

at 01:23 on April 22nd, 2008

'New Era' solar powered boat.
Based in Inverness, Scotland

www.spanglefish.com/NewEra

RachieDee has contributed a photo to this story.

James Pate

at 03:51 on April 22nd, 2008

This is weird, I thought google was backing NanoSolar (http://nanosolar.com).

http://www.nanosolar.com/history.htm

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-5749586-7.html

luder.pt

at 04:37 on April 22nd, 2008

Solar panels on single-axis trackers, capable of following the sun across the sky, at Moura photovoltaic power station.

When finished, it will be world's biggest, with an installed power capacity of 62 MWp. Located in the parish of Amareleja, Portugal, it will occupy an area of 130 ha (320 acres) and will avoid the annual production of 60,000 tons of CO2.

Also a great place for a visit, the whole place looks like a scene from a sci-fi movie! Breathtaking, believe me.

luder.pt has contributed a photo to this story.

SOLARLIFE

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 04:42 on April 22nd, 2008

Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff. Google's stuff can already use Toyota hybrid cars with extension battery in the trunk and refill solar during work. Google got out of the stupid buisness plan thinking and starts to offer renewable electricity to compensate high power consuming servers. Why not starting a clean energy initiative for NowPublic servers ?

Darth Peder

at 06:32 on April 22nd, 2008

Darth Peder has contributed a photo to this story.

SusanAsh

at 08:25 on April 22nd, 2008

A solar-powered trash bin in Baltimore, MD. (Fells Point neighborhood)

SusanAsh has contributed a photo to this story.

eastvanray

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:48 on April 23rd, 2008

Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Nice to see the free market doing its job. Investments in substitute goods and technologies (solar, wind, water turbine etc) would not happen in a world of $30/barrel oil. I am looking forward to a day when my 9 MPG Land Rover can run on something that doesn't cost $120 a tank to fuel up!