Google to Invest in Major Offshore Wind Power Line Project

[kpete]

Source: Washington Independent

Google to Invest in Major Offshore Wind Power Line Project
By Andrew Restuccia 10/12/10 9:08 AM

Google is planning to fork over about $200 million in an initial investment to help build a massive set of power lines along the East Coast that would help move power generated from offshore wind to people’s homes.

The Internet giant is partnering with investment firm Good Energies to get the project off the ground. Good Energy is also expected to make a $200 million initial investment in the project, which is estimated to cost $5 billion, The New York Times reports.

Building a so-called “transmission backbone,” which would move electricity generated at offshore wind plants to those that need it, is considered essential to proving the viability of offshore wind, a technology that has yet to be built in the United States. The Interior Department signed a lease last week for Cape Wind, a proposed wind project off the coast of Massachusetts that many hope will be the first offshore wind project to be built in federal waters (as I’ve noted before, Texas, which operates outside of federal rules, is hoping to beat Cape Wind).

While many have praised the project, others warn that progress could get tangled up in regulatory delays. The Times reports:

Read more: http://washingtonindependent.com/100360/google-to-invest-in-major-offshore-wind-power-line-project

[Cassandra]

1. Good!

No electricity, no Google.

[valerief]

2. But, but, but, clean coal. Fresh, clean, sparklingly pure natural gas.

Our country runs on oil. Virginal nuclear power. But, but, but.

***moment of lucidity***
Whoopee! Wind turbines!!!!
:applause:

[bherrera]

6. Some comments about energy in the USA

From Wikipedia:

"in 2005, it was estimated that 40% of the nation's energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 23% from natural gas. Nuclear power supplied 8.4% and renewable energy supplied 7.3%, which was mainly from hydroelectric dams although other renewables are included such as wind power, geothermal and solar energy"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States

Additional information:

http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/IntInfo/ConsI.pdf

In Europe, we consume less energy per capita than the US. The USA should focus on energy efficiency first. Wind turbines can help, but they are not the total solution.

[valerief]

9. Tell that to our military who uses most of the oil. Tell that to our govt officials who

put the kabosh on public transportation infrastructure.

Of course, we need to be more efficient, but the elites want to spend our money on WAR WAR WAR WAR.

[pasto76]

3. Good for them. Pres Clinton said in a speech around 2005-ish

that if he were running exxon and shell, he would have been making them an _energy_ company, not just a petroleum company. Hopefully Google sets the stage for other non-petroleum corporations to follow suit. This is exactly the kind of infusion clean energy desperately needs.

[happygoluckytoyou]

4. the GOP convention alone should power a city for a week

[earcandle]

5. Way Cool!

[Aaria]

7. A different thought on wind power. Harvesting it is good.....

but what if the turbines were air pumps instead of electric generators. Compressed air is the most economical way to save energy, you almost get back all the energy put into it. The turbine heads are simpler to build and will work at lower speeds. The mast becomes a storage tank for when the wind is not blowing, No energy is lost due to seepage from the power lines as it is transferred to the shore. The metal used in the cable to transfer the energy to the shore is saved by using a pipe. Just typing out loud. Latr

[kristopher]

11. They are doing it.

They store the air in ground level or underground/underwater facilities, however, there is an energy penalty of about 25%.

I forget their names but I think 2 companies are specializing in turbines that pump air.

[Jester Messiah]

8. I try to be sceptical of Google... but then they go and do stuff like this.

It's just not fair.

[Vehl]

10. Good news! k&R

Google has always gone ahead and done some of the things other companies would not even think of (the ones in the IT industry)
They were also the ones who increased the salaries of gay couples to compensate for the lack of tax breaks.

Kudos to Google

[BadgerKid]

12. Meanwhile corporate America props up their stock prices with idle cash.

It would be nice if they could give back more from whence they have taken.