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Google Explains Why It Became an Energy Trader

Posted by kdawson on from the not-pulling-an-enron dept.

angry tapir writes "Google has explained how it might use its status as an energy-trading company to increase the use of renewable energy sources in its data centers. In February, the company's Google Energy subsidiary received approval from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to buy and sell power on the wholesale market."

8 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. More crazy US laws. by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It is currently illegal to resell electricity that you generate using 'waste'.

    So say you run a heat-treat process. You don't have much incentive to install a way to reprocess that heat. I wish I could remember the TLC/Discovery/History channel special that they had about it...

    By becoming an 'energy trader' I'm wondering if Google can skirt these laws and make their data centers more efficient or even energy negative.

    1. Re:More crazy US laws. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It is currently illegal to resell electricity that you generate using 'waste'.

      Okay, you're going to have to explain that. (ie [citation needed]).

      (And, if you're generating it, it would be "sell", not "resell", wouldn't it?)

    2. Re:More crazy US laws. by sigipickl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What? You better tell that to the thousands of dumps across the country burning 'waste' methane to produce electricity to sell.

      Many industrial facilities also produce energy from waste heat and manufacturing bi-products. It's called co-generation. For example, many cement manufacturers burn natural gas (among other things) to produce lime-ash. They take the waste heat and produce steam to turn generating turbines, often producing more electricity than they use.

      --
      Never trust anyone who takes pride in being called a 'geek'....
    3. Re:More crazy US laws. by MBGMorden · · Score: 3, Interesting

      (And, if you're generating it, it would be "sell", not "resell", wouldn't it?)

      Depends on your viewpoint. Waste heat from electronics is just the energy your purchased with it's form converted. If you convert it BACK to electrical energy, you could be considered to be REselling it. This is opposed to hydro, geothermal, solar etc where the original form was never actually purchased. Coal, nuclear, etc might still be considered "reselling" even for the power company though since in those cases you do buy a material with stored energy.

      Either way though, pointing out these differences is just being a pedantic ass, but I suppose turnabout is fair play.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    4. Re:More crazy US laws. by sigipickl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Lighten up, Francis....

      I wasn't challenging the laws of thermodynamics, I was challenging the parent comment "It is currently illegal to resell electricity that you generate using waste".

      As for my resume', I'll spare you the details, but my background is in energy and energy transmission contracts- more specifically, natural gas sourced co-generation.

      Besides the "illegal" comment from the parent post, the statement "You don't have much incentive to install a way to reprocess that heat", is BS. There are thousands of facilities here in California selling electricity produced from 'waste' heat as a bi-product of their primary business. There are incentives for doing this- specifically, decreased natural gas transmission costs for BTUs put back on to the grid in the form of electricity (electricity that they market themselves or sell through marketers). Check out http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/ and search 'cogeneration'. It's a huge industry here in CA and is heavily 'incentive-ised' and subsidized as an alternative to building power plants.

      --
      Never trust anyone who takes pride in being called a 'geek'....
  2. Elementary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Also, this way the extent and sizes of their data centers can be hidden behind a energy trading corp controlled by them.

  3. Because they know more than anyone else? by llamalad · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder if they can get any insight into other energy trading companies' plans and strategy based on the search activities of their employees and executive teams...

  4. Re:What is Greenpeace smoking? by pmc · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My favourite Greenpeace press release contained the following sentence:

    "In the twenty years since the Chernobyl tragedy, the world's worst nuclear accident, there have been nearly [FILL IN ALARMIST AND ARMAGEDDONIST FACTOID HERE]"

    Yes - the bit in caps is theirs.