Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the Institute for Energy Efficiency’s UCSB’s “Santa Barbara Summit on Energy Efficiency.” One of the highlights of the two-day event included the keynote address by Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives at Google.
Reicher started out discussing what he considered the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century: the smart grid. He described today’s power grid as a largely fossil-fuel based system dominated by aging equipment and inefficient generation (that often comes from different from loads) that is difficult to manage and curtails the gathering of energy use information. The opportunity, as Reicher sees it, involves the planning and development of the smart grid, and the funding that comes with it. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nations from all over the world must expect to invest upwards of $37 trillion in energy technologies—including $26 trillion for energy efficiency—to stabilize GHG emissions and meet future energy needs.
Google, of course, is interested in the costs and investment opportunities associated with the smart grid (and energy efficiency in general) for a variety of reasons. As the operator of at least a dozen data centers (Google is notoriously secretive on the specifics of their operation), any energy efficiency gains translate into a reduction in operational costs. Additionally, in February of this year, the federal government granted Google permission to buy and sell power like a utility company. And, as always, Google is obsessed with data—its acquisition, its analysis, and its distribution. For Google’s quest, the smart grid is the ultimate end point.
Reicher also talked about the benefits associated with energy efficiency, not just for Google, but for many businesses large and small. “Energy efficiency is a renewable energy source,” explained Reicher, “and low-hanging fruit grows back.” Quoting Amory Bloch Lovins, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Reicher reminded the audience that, when it comes to energy, “All people want is cold beer and hot showers.”
Nevertheless, the folks at Google believe that giving people access to information about their own energy use can inspire energy efficient behavior. Reicher described it as “ET meets IT,” and then explained how programs like Google’s Power Meter—which provides real time energy use data (via a smart meter or fuse box hardware) to users—will put the power of information into the hands of the individuals most able to make a difference.
As part of its commitment to meld information with efficiency, Reicher outlined Google’s three energy policy focus areas:
* The creation of the Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) to advance commercial scale higher risk energy projects
* Promoting the adoption of federal legislation establishing a consumer “right to know” electricity consumption information
* Increasing federal energy RD&D funding from $3–4 billion to $15–30 billion annually (as President Obama has called for)
Reicher summed up his comments by quoting Alan Kay, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it”, while applauding the Institute for Energy Efficiency for being “an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to developing technological solutions that will forever change how energy is produced, managed, and used.”
Click here for more information on the Summit and the Institute.