In the smart-grid arena, Google is taking a more overtly commercial position by introducing its own product. To gain broader acceptance for PowerMeter, it is creating a partnership program for hardware manufacturers, utilities, and government agencies. A company that makes a smart meter or in-home display for energy usage could, for example, make its information Continue reading →
Here’s the real reason that I think Google entered into a contract earlier this month to buy clean power from a wind farm in Iowa: data centers. Since the beginning of this year Google has maintained that its plans for Google Energy — a subsidiary that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved in February Continue reading →
Dan Reicher, director of climate change and energy initiatives at Google Inc., spoke at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum Wall Street on Wednesday in support of a new government agency that would help clean technology companies bridge the “valley of death,” a gap in financing for the first full-scale demonstration. via Google’s Renewable Energy Push Continue reading →
America's first wireless Smart Grid network has been deployed in Plumas-Sierra county, California, using TV White Space spectrum as a means to deliver connectivity. Using Google’s PowerMeter technology, service provider Spectrum Bridge has joined forces with Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative and Telecommunications (PSREC) to test the new network’s capabilities in delivering real-time broadband connectivity and Continue reading →
Google (GOOG) has long been transfixed with TV white space, those slivers of unused spectrum that were abandoned when the nation switched from analog to digital TV broadcasts. Along with Microsoft (MSFT) and Motorola (MOT), Google has lobbied the FCC for years to turn the spectrum over to the public, arguing that it would be Continue reading →
Google is backing the test of a wireless smart-grid power system that uses TV white spaces. The Internet search giant partnered with Spectrum Bridge of Lake Mary, Fla., and the utility cooperative of Plumas-Sierra County, Calif., where the trial is being carried out. Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative & Telecommunications elected to use white spaces to Continue reading →
Power users can now buy an innovative device that lets them see how much power they are consuming, either by checking a display in their home or by logging on to Google’s website. The battery-powered device, made by British company CurrentCost, clips on to the wire leading out of an electricity meter and measures power Continue reading →
Google’s PowerMeter is making huge strides in leapfrogging the lumbering smart meter installation process, with utilities slowly integrating them into the nation-wide smart grid upgrade. For a quick refresher: the smart grid is an electric grid that is wholly connected, from energy source to end user, so that everyone who participates in the grid can Continue reading →
General Motors’ announcement this week that it plans to link up with Google to provide a set of location-based services to owners of the upcoming electric vehicle the Chevy Volt comes hot on the heels of Ford laying out plans to work with Microsoft to manage electric vehicle charging. Google and Microsoft have been competing on Continue reading →
Cleantech developers! Are you scrambling for financing? Is your project backed by a PPA, has it secured regulatory approval but is not making it past bank credit committees? Call Google, yes the search engine giant, is (as of last week) now directly investing in renewable energy projects. A little less than a year after the Continue reading →
Google Ventures said it will invest $100 million per year into startups, angling to make a profit. The 10 startups in the Google Ventures portfolio include: Pixazza, which converts static images into interactive content; smart grid technology maker Silver Spring Networks; publishing tool VigLink; life sciences outfit Adimab; language learning platform English Central; analytics search Continue reading →
Google is no stranger to renewable energy. The search giant has previously invested in enhanced geothermal technology, smart grid ventures, electric cars, and wind power startups. But those investments all came from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the company. Now, for the first time, Google Inc. has invested in renewable power as a way to Continue reading →
Energy and politics mix in a variety of ways, and this item is a good example of what I’ve wanted to write about for a while. Earlier this month, these two high profile energy players – The Climate Group and Google (News – Alert).org – made an equally high profile announcement that speaks volumes about how Continue reading →
Google PowerMeter now in prototype, will receive information from utility smart meters and energy management devices and provide anyone who signs up access to her home electricity consumption right on her iGoogle homepage. The graph on the right shows how someone could use this information to figure out how much energy is used by different Continue reading →
Google, the online search engine that aspires to be the world’s information clearinghouse, wants to manage your household energy use. The company is now beating many power companies in smart grid development by offering a Google application that lets homeowners monitor daily energy use. Some electric utilities are responding to consumer demand and are cooperating Continue reading →
The smart grid is a big topic these days, but before there was a smart grid newspaper headline, the utilities have been experimenting with TCP/IP in the backend networks for a while now. Erich Gunther of enernex (www.enernex.com) will present a reference model and concept of network operations for the power industry including how Internet Continue reading →
There’s a battle looming in California over smart meters and energy prices. Google says the state should require its big utilities to give near real-time pricing information to every smart meter-enabled customer by the end of next year. California’s big three utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Continue reading →
Will Google’s tools one day help you monitor and manage the energy consumption of appliances like your washer and dryer? The company said yesterday afternoon that it’s partnered with chip maker Microchip to work with developers in order to create embedded devices that are compatible with Google’s energy tool PowerMeter. Microchip says the relationship means Continue reading →
Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP 28.71, -0.36, -1.24%) , a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced the result of its strategic partnership with Google PowerMeter–the first Reference Implementation of the Google PowerMeter API for embedded developers. Designers now have a quick and easy way to enter the global energy-conservation market, by creating products Continue reading →
In a bid to encourage integration of its technology by home developers and manufacturers of a range of electrical devices, Google has released a new PowerMeter API. The code, which is available here, is intended for manufacturers of electrical devices, from refrigerators and washing machines to other appliances, that have built-in energy monitoring technology. It Continue reading →
