The web portal Google aims to develop cheap and clean sources of energy to replace polluting fossil fuels and tackle global warming. The company said last night it would invest "hundreds of millions" of dollars in the project, writes David Adam, environment correspondent, The Guardian, Wednesday November 28 2007 at http://www.guardian.co.uk/.
Forwarded by Budhi Mulyawan 281107.

Google will focus initially on solar thermal power, wind power, geothermal systems and other "potential breakthrough" technologies. It wants to find cheaper, less polluting ways to supply its own demand for energy, as well as accelerate the replacement of fossil fuels for worldwide electricity generation.

Larry Page, co-founder of Google, said: "We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centres. We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at a globally significant scale."

The company's clean technology initiative, called REC, aims to develop renewable energy sources that are cheaper than coal, the cheapest, most abundant and dirtiest fossil fuel.

Page said: "With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forwards. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades."

Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org, the firm's philanthropic arm, said: "The hope is that by funding research on promising technologies, investing in promising new companies and doing a lot of R&D ourselves, we may help spark a green electricity revolution." Google already works with two California companies that are developing solar and wind power.

The initiative comes two weeks before officials and politicians from around the world gather in Bali to discuss a new global agreement to fight climate change.

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