labels: General Electric, Google
Google and GE to collaborate on promoting renewable energy news
22 September 2008

With increased focus on the environment nowadays, global corporate giants are also doing their bit to contribute towards the green movement. Last week, General Electric and Google partnered to lobby the US government for investment in the electrical grid to support more renewable energy generation.

The corporate giants said they want to give consumers more energy choices through a smart grid that will also accommodate the next generation of electric transportation and manage electricity more efficiently.

Together the companies will collaborate on advanced geothermal technology and the software and services needed to help utilities integrate plug-in electric vehicles into the grid. They will lobby in Washington, DC through policy proposals, advocacy, public relations and information programs.

The alliance reflects a shared view that sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar power could quickly be used to meet a significant proportion of national energy demand.

"Clean energy is eminently doable, eminently solvable," said Jeff Immelt, chief executive of GE. It was under his leadership three years ago that GE had set out to promote new "clean" technologies, under an initiative dubbed "Ecomagination".

Immelt acknowledged that the effort had drawn scepticism and suspicion from some quarters, particularly given GE's involvement in many old, contaminated industrial locations. But he said that sales of products and services that fell under the initiative had risen to $18 billion a year, up from $4 bilion-$5 billion at its launch. See: GE crosses $4-billion in green investments with new wind-farm projects

The move comes as the US Congress considered an energy bill and the renewal of federal tax credits for green power, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

"The current regulatory and economic model is failing to drive the innovation and investment we need in today's electric grid," GE and Google said in a statement. "We will work to overcome regulatory and institutional barriers and advocate for appropriate incentives."

Google launched a green power initiative last year, Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal and has been involved in a number of clean energy initiatives, from helping to launch a tech industry body to promote more energy-efficient data centres as well as investing in geothermal energy ventures.

See: Google invests $10.25 million in geothermal energy technology

See: Google joins hunt for cheap renewable energy

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Google and GE to collaborate on promoting renewable energy