Google Developing New Mirror for Low-cost Solar Power
Google Developing New Mirror for Low-cost Solar Power
Posted 09/11/2009 at 6:30am
| by Pulkit Chandna
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Google has wide-ranging interests and no immediate plans to relent. Faced with the dearth of groundbreaking green technology ideas, the conscientious internet giant has taken it upon itself to break some ground in the green tech industry. It is nice to know that not every company has its sights riveted only on the e-book reader market.
Google is working on new mirror technology that could make solar thermal energy more affordable. Its current efforts are focused on the development of radical materials for the mirrors – both for the reflective surface and the substrate - used in the generation of solar thermal energy.
"In two to three years we could be demonstrating a significant scale pilot system that would generate a lot of power and would be clearly mass manufacturable at a cost that would give us a levelized cost of electricity that would be in the 5 cents or sub 5 cents a kilowatt hour range," Google’s green energy Czar told Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday.
The current cost of solar thermal energy ranges between 12-18 cents per kilowatt hour. Besides mirrors, it has plans to develop solar-powered gas turbines, a solution that could further lower the cost of electricity.
Image Credit: AngelaToni
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MRrelabled
September 11, 2009 at 3:46pm
They need to think smaller scale, something lot of people can afford, maybe an alternative to a gas generator that people use in wind storms or bad weather. Something enough to power a small heater or something. All that needs to be done is to get the mass production wheels spinning, then you can change gears later and talk big investments.
fullur
September 11, 2009 at 1:50pm
No pun intended.
I hope they succeed, but I just don't buy that they will. Also, I have to wonder what their angle is. As has been pointed out before, Google is not a technology company. They are an advertizing company. Every bit of money they make is from some form of advertizing. How are they going to work that into solar energy?
BaggerX
September 14, 2009 at 7:33am
But I think diversification can be a good thing. They are a company with many very smart people with a lot of different interests. If they can find more concrete ways to make money by innovating, then that should be good for the company.
Walnut
September 11, 2009 at 12:30pm
This is why I like Google so much. The bigger they get, the more cool stuff they do. I'm also a fan of the whole "use all our cool stuff for free" approach.
nekollx
September 11, 2009 at 8:24am
never i wager
They were founded on free products, if they got greedy and started charging they would loose a lot of customers so it's a inate check and balance. The most you'll probably see is embeded adds in their projects. maybe built in self powered TV at their solar plants that are near highways?
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Tekzel
September 11, 2009 at 7:46am
Funny, this kind of reminds me of the bit in the movie "Demolition Man" where all restaraunts were Taco Bell. Except, in the future all companies will be Google.
nekollx
September 11, 2009 at 8:14am
All praise be to goggle, our lord and Savior
The book of G
John 4:11
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