Google Getting Into the Solar Mirror Business 139
adeelarshad82 writes with this excerpt from a Reuters report:
"Google is disappointed with the lack of breakthrough investment ideas in the green technology sector, but the company is working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by [25%] or more. The company's engineers have been focused on solar thermal technology, in which the sun's energy is used to heat up a substance that produces steam to turn a turbine. Mirrors focus the sun's rays on the heated substance. ... Google hopes to have a viable technology to show internally in a couple of months, Bill Weihl said. It will need to do accelerated testing to show the impact of decades of wear on the new mirrors in desert conditions."
Power? (Score:3, Funny)
I guess they figured out thier electric bills were too high.
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Google and Govt talk: (Score:5, Funny)
Weihl said Google had not intended to invest much more in early years, but that there was little to buy. "I would say it's reasonable to be a little bit discouraged there and from my point of view, it's not right to be seriously discouraged," he said. "There isn't enough investment going into the early stages of investment pipeline before the venture funds come into the play." The U.S. government needs to provide more funds to develop ideas at the laboratory stage, he said. "I'd like to see $20 billion or $30 billion for 10 yrs (for the sector)," Weihl said. "That would be fabulous. It's pretty clear what we have seen isn't enough."
Google: "Government, please throw in some 20 or 30 billion dollars to into solar energy research"
Govt: Nah, deficits are high. We dont have money. It should be done by the private sector. 20 or 30 billion dollars is too much way too much we cant afford it It is not a trivial sum like 780 billion dollars to clean up after wall street greedy moneybags. Tell you what? Grow too big to fail. Then come back asking for a couple of trillion dollars. Then we will be able to do it. OK?
"Do no Evil" (Score:2, Funny)
So first we had "Do no Evil" and now they're working to blind us all so we can "See No Evil" too. What next, voice recognition -- "Hear No Evil" ?
Did Google misinterpret (Score:5, Funny)
Did Google misinterpret the reason that Oracle bought Sun?
Re:Power? (Score:5, Funny)
Isn't it extremely dangerous? It could escape the power plant by pretending to be a cop and then go on a killing rampage.
Re:Google and Govt talk: (Score:3, Funny)
Is there an "Ignorant cliche, -1"? No...oh well.
"substance that produces steam" (Score:3, Funny)
in which the sun's energy is used to heat up a substance that produces steam
What is this mythically substance that produces steam when heated up?
Re:Solar thermal's biggest problem (Score:3, Funny)
It's to be expected. Consider a conversation between a cigar-chomping flint-hearted power company executive and his favorite toady:
E: Smothers! What's the hold-up with the new coal plant?
S: Well sir, some environmentalists say coal smoke causes acid rain and carbon dioxide ruins the climate
E: Poppycock and nonsense.... but I suppose a hold-up is a hold-up. How do they expect us to make electricity if they're holding up our plant?
S: Sir, they suggest we build alternative energy
E: Alternative energy? What, I burn $100 bills? A man can't make an honest business nowadays...
S: Sir, they think we should make hydroelectric, wind, and solar generation.
E: Well, I suppose we can try it. Let me know how it goes, Smothers.
(later)
S: Sir, I have the reports on our pilot hydroelectric, wind, and solar generation projects
E: Good, good, let's hear the summary
S: Well sir, our hydroelectric plant was stopped by environmentalists complaining it would flood sensitive wetlands habitat and stop migrating fish.
E: Mmm... and the others
S: The wind plant was shut down after environmentalists said our windmills chopped up birds
E: Harumph, we should just put in a restaurant... ha, ha, get it Smothers?
S: Yes sir, wind power and ground poultry, very funny sir.
E: Well, solar? They couldn't have found anything wrong with solar, right Smothers?
S: Actually, sir, they said just building the plant would disturb the desert environment and threaten many species of desert animal and plant. They said that bringing in the water we need would deplete the aquatic environment. And they said that as a whole, the plant would increase the albedo of the desert and result in damage to the climate
E: WHAT? What do these people want us to do, sit around in the dark?
S: Uhh, I don't know sir
E: Call our lawyers! Call our lobbyists! I want that coal plant back on the fast track. That's the last time I'll pay any attention to any of that environmentalist nonsense.
S: Yes sir.