Google and the Grid

Google has teamed up with GE to bring us up-close and personal to the smart grid. They’re developing a personal energy information application called the Google PowerMeter that will show us our energy consumption in near real-time.

We will know how much energy we’re using, which appliance is using more energy, and find out once-and-for-all just how much energy and money we save by unplugging all of those appliances not in use.

A leader in the Silicon Valley internet technology industry starting from modest beginnings with a well-designed search engine, Google is betting we’ll better understand our energy usage by the information we receive from the PowerMeter than what we currently find on our utility bills.

Google is using GE’s smart meter to create the application. Thanks to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Plan, over 40 million homes will have a smart meter in place over the next few years.

Google’s interest comes from the belief that consumers need access to personal energy usage to make informed decisions about consumption and saving. Google has brought on Edward Lu – a former NASA astronaut and an electrical engineer and Ph.D. in applied physics to head their energy program tools for consumers. They’re really serious about this.

Not only is Google creating tools for the individual consumer, they are investing in energy technology as well as lobbying for policies that give the smart grid a push. Always future-forward, Google intends to bring our outdated energy grid into the modern, digital era.

This technology not only helps consumers save money by tweaking their energy use, it reduces CO2 emissions to the projected equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road.

Google has used the analogy of getting a grocery bill at the end of the month to the monthly electric bill. How can consumers control their spending and how can they budget for something that is not broken down by usage and not even calculated until after it is used? It is currently very problematic, but something everybody is used to.

The Google PowerMeter will be free of cost and will allow consumers access to energy usage information over time to see peak periods of use. We will be able to compare usage from one day to the next, or to see trends over longer periods of time. People will be able to access this information from personal computers or cell phones.

The PowerMeter is not yet available to the general public but is now being tested by Google employees.

Google may be reinventing itself as one of the next energy giants in smart grid innovation. This is shrewd business acumen that stems from a commitment to new energy systems as well as a strong interest in the cool technology funneled directly to the consumer through personal computing and wireless networks.

Google has been at the forefront of innovation in technology, so it is only fitting that they want to play a big role in new energy schemes for the consumer. Google - an industry giant, and a gentle one at that.

Greening American Industry - from Tracy at ecomii blogs

Greening American Industry - from ecomii blogs

A group in Cincinnati has converted an old, vacant building to create a green tech lab for green construction and design projects.

The Ford training center in the Twin Cities has plans to close its doors by 2011 and will lay off hundreds of employees in the process. A few area groups have decided to use this manufacturing site as a green jobs training program for wind turbine manufacturing and installation, and light rail car production.

Here are a couple of examples of how greening our defunct manufacturing and industry plants in this country can help create jobs well within reach of those laid off factory workers, as well as help the U.S. to once again make products, all while helping the environment and hard-hit communities.

Not only will new jobs be created in this process, necessary training will also take place.

Green collar jobs allow people from impoverished neighborhoods and communities that have been hit hard by lay-offs and plant closings a chance to go back to work and do something for the environment, the growth of our economy, and help bring our defunct manufacturing and industry back to life for better products and a cleaner planet.

More importantly, workers who used to work in environmentally unsafe conditions can now breather easier when they go to work and live a happier, healthier life at home within a community that no longer lives alongside factories that emit toxic waste.

Out of work auto plant workers can go back to work in their old factories, only now they’re working on cars that help this country move away from oil dependence, and aid in the race against climate change.

America can start anew to make innovative products and employ green collar workers to return this country to the global marketplace where it once stood and where we can make a positive impact.

Where are the Green Jobs? - from ecomii blogs

Where are the Green Jobs? - from ecomii blogs

We have heard there will be hundreds of thousands of jobs created from initiatives contained in the economic stimulus plan. But let us be concerned with the job creation within the green or cleantech sector of business and industry.

Obama laid out plans to rebuild our energy grid and has a focus on increasing U.S. dependence on renewable energy (RE) sources for our energy use over the next few years.

This means that there will be an increase in jobs within the RE sector. Jobs in RE are fast becoming a focus of interest for jobseekers. Many who have no previous experience in energy want to be a part of the RE fields and they want it bad!

Main areas of RE job creation are currently coming from:

Solar

Solar is one the broadest of the RE categories in terms of career specialties.

• Photovoltaic (PV) Engineers design PV cells that convert sunlight to electricity. PVs are a well-established system but there is constant work in redesign for better efficiency, so PV Engineers are in high demand. Most companies looking for PV Engineers want at least five years of design experience and an engineering degree.
• There are thin film scientists who research and develop solar cells. This is a highly technical and scientific position that usually requires and advanced science or physics degree.
• PV or solar panel installers – There is a broad range of experience levels wanted for this position. Some job descriptions read that candidates must only be willing to learn PV installation. Others request one or two years of experience, while yet others want certification with many years of experience.
• Sales – obviously the easiest category to get into for someone who has no experience in the field.

Wind

Wind energy is fast growing and there are many opportunities to be had in this sector of RE.

• Research – there are numerous areas of research within wind energy to include: analysis of wind patterns, turbine research, wind and weather meteorological forecasting, integration of wind energy into the utility grid, storing the wind energy to use as electricity.
• Sales
• Manufacturing
• Environmental Consulting – typically requires an environmental degree and experience.

Biofuels

This is heavily science-based and includes research in not only corn-based ethanol, which is a highly contested form of energy extraction, but also in photosynthesis-types of energy creation by studying algae and other microbes.

This is an exciting and innovative arena and research mostly comes from small research firms focusing on biofuels or university research. There is high-need for microbiologists in these fields.

Other areas of RE include geothermal energy and ocean energy (tapping the energy from waves which is pretty cool), but currently not creating a lot jobs but definitely worth watching.

Interestingly, big oil companies like Exxon have the capacity for tapping geothermal sources for energy and they will probably be the ones taking advantage of big growth in this industry.

While geology degrees are especially useful, most jobs in geothermal are for project engineers who may or may not need experience in geothermal energy.

Another big area for job creation is in clean IT. Cleantech IT is a darling for VC funding and these jobs are basically the same as any IT position one would find in any high tech company.

For those seeking to move into a green career, the key is focus and research. Focus on the career track you want to take, and research the best avenues to get there. This may mean taking entry-level positions for mid-level individuals.

Taking an internship or getting certification within a specific field. Or, you may even need to go back to school for an advanced degree or for that degree you never got around to getting in the first place.

The jobs will be coming, so let’s get prepared for them.

Introducing the 'Green Craigslist' - thedailygreen.com

Introducing the 'Green Craigslist' - thedailygreen.com

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In a Not-So-Rosy Outlook for Green, Energy Still Wins: Scientific American Blog

In a Not-So-Rosy Outlook for Green, Energy Still Wins: Scientific American Blog

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Top 10 Myths about Sustainability: Scientific American

Top 10 Myths about Sustainability: Scientific American

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The Smart Grid Debate - from Tracy at ecomii blogs

The Smart Grid Debate - from ecomii blogs

There is a heated debate at the moment concerning the smart grid. Should there be a smart grid? Will it be effective?

And just what is a smart grid?

The smart grid will connect consumers to the power companies and give users more control over energy usage. This allows the power companies to better predict the amount of power needed by generators throughout any given day. Not only does this save in power usage, but saves the consumer, and the overall economy, lots of money.

The smart grid will also be able to distribute power from locations in other parts of the country to places with higher need. For example, folks in Madison, WI can get solar power from Las Vegas, NV.

But why the debate?

There are a few reasons why some people think the smart grid will not actually be very smart. Most notably – It won’t save as much energy as predicted.

Reasons include:

• It’s impractical – giving the consumer knowledge of their energy use does not mean people will automatically conserve. And distributing energy use throughout the day to off-peak hours is also not practical because people don’t like being inconvenienced (maybe some people don’t need lower energy bills…).
• Wind and sun can’t provide enough energy and wind farms blight the landscape.
• Unpredictable energy sources – it’s hard to predict wind currents. For example, it’s hard to know if there will enough wind on any given day to provide for that day’s usage, or whether too much wind and not enough demand will cause a shut-down of turbines.
• We should put our focus on nuclear energy instead (worth another blog entirely).
• The federal government may have to mandate to individual states where to put power sources like wind farms.

Yet, there are those on the other site of the argument who think the smart grid is very smart indeed. These are people from companies that include industry giants like GE and Google, as well as from our own government.

What are the arguments for a smart grid?

• It will help reduce power outages that currently cost billions of dollars.
• The smart grid will connect to solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.
• It will help create jobs and new companies creating innovative technology – VC funding pours into smart grid technologies
• It will give consumers more control by sharing important information about when and where energy can be saved in the home or business – this helps lower our utility bills as well as conserve energy.
• No more need for meter readers – saves money and fuel.

Looking at points from both sides of the debate, it’s hard to tell why some people are so opposed to the smart grid. Opposition seems to mostly come from those who either want our energy from nuclear power, or from those who feel power use will be controlled by the utilities, or worse, the government.

Looking at both arguments, it’s apparent that we really need a smart grid. President Obama wants renewable energy sources like the sun and wind to provide 10% of our power by 2012 (we’re currently at about 1%). We need an updated grid system to achieve this. Our current grid doesn’t have capacity to utilize renewable energy sources.

Without rebuilding our grid, we won’t be able to move forward with any new power initiatives and that would not be smart at all.