Is Google Eco-Friendly? A Look How Google is Becoming a Green Company with its Initiatives

Google’s Eco-Friendly Initiatives

In 2004 Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google.org, their plan was to donate significant resources from Google, including employee’s time and 1% of the company’s equity and profits to help combat some of the world’s ecological problems. Since that time they have been supporting a number of innovative creations including those in renewable technology. In 2005 Google owners set up the Google Foundation as a source of funds for grant making. As of September 2008 Google.org has committed more that $100 million in grants and initiatives. Here is a run down on some of their green initiatives :

· Makani Power Inc.: Google supports their high-altitude wind energy extraction technologies aimed at producing utility-scale power cheaper than coal with a $10 million investment. Wind represents on of the only two renewable resources that has enough potential to meet the world’s current demands on energy.

· eSolar and BrightSource Energy: Google invested $10 million dollars in each company to support research on solar power, the other of the only two renewable resources with enough potential to meet the world’s energy needs .

· AltaRock Energy Inc.: received a $6.25 million investment form Google enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) technologies and project development in the advancement of EGS. EGS projects produce clean, renewable electrical energy while admitting little or no carbon dioxide.

· Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab.: Google’s $489,521 grant is helping the Lab improve geothermal resource assessment techniques and to update the Geothermal Map of North America.

· Potter Drilling: Google invested $4 million dollars for a project focusing on new hard rock drilling technologies for EGS.

· Energy Foundation: Google has invested $50,000 for research into climate change.

· NRDC: (Natural Resources Defense Council), Google had invested $100,000 in support of the Environmental Entrepreneurs Climate Campaign to assist with the implementation of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. A further $2,000,000 was invested to create a Center on Energy Efficiency Standards to help the US and China achieve major reductions in the use of electricity and natural gas – and significantly cut

· Electric Power Research Institute: Google has invested $200,000 to support EPRI’s plug-in vehicle research and development program including participating in advanced infrastructure development, vehicle-to-grid technology demonstrations, and studies of the environmental and economic benefits of plug-ins.

· ApteraMotors and ActCell: These two companies received $2.75 million in Google investments in support of research and development into commercialized plug-in electric vehicles .

· Plug-In America: Google’s investment of $100,000 is being used to raise public awareness of and to promote plug-in transportation.