Google To Make Solar Thermal Power Cheaper Than Coal

Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by Ross in Energy News, North America

Fed up with a lack of innovation in solar power over past decades, Google is throwing its hat into the ring with the aim of driving the price of solar energy down by 75%.

Google has invested around $50 million in renewable energy over the past two years, with the aim of providing renewable power which is cheaper than coal. Their main focus has been on solar thermal technology, with the primary aim being to halving the cost of making heliostats - and then halving it again.

Solar thermal energy involves focusing the sun’s rays onto a substance in order to heat it up by hundreds of degrees. The substance is then used to create steam to power turbines.

Google’s main direction of innovation is to create mirrors for reflecting the sunlight at a fraction of the current costs, which require a 250MW solar thermal power station to cost $600m-$1bn.

With a track record for innovation, Google’s expansion into the field is certain to excite neutral onlookers, and the internet search giant has plenty to gain indirectly too - its server networks which power the world’s search queries consume vast amounts of energy, although the carbon footprint of a Google search is small compared to the carbon footprint of the end-user’s computer on which the information request is being performed.

Solar thermal energy is not the only toe which Google has dipped into green waters. Much hype surrounds the Google Powermeter software which is being touted to energy companies who install smart meters into businesses and households. Aiming to help people make sense of smart meters, Google Powermeter and rival Microsoft’s Hohm are part of a slew of software packages hoping to help people use less power and be more energy efficient.

Image of a solar thermal power station by afloresm @ Flickr