Google Outspends US Government on Drilling... for Geothermal Energy

[emh]

Google invests in drilling - for geothermal energy
By Todd Woody

Google on Tuesday took the drilling debate in a different direction - announcing that Google.org is investing nearly $11 million in technology to expand the nation’s geothermal reserves. That’s more than the U.S. government is spending on geothermal projects this year.

...

“While the U.S. debates drilling in the ocean for oil, we are focused on drilling for renewable energy - and lots of it - right beneath our feet,” Google.org said in a statement, citing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study that estimates the accessible heat below the U.S. represents more than 2,500 times the nation’s annual energy consumption.

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[Pedal 2 Metal]

Oh the government...

They take a tremendous amount of money from us, and yet almost none of it is put to good use. How the hell did we get to this point?

[KingElvis]

Fact: Right now you could think of the untapped oil in US federal lands as "our" oil, in that it belongs to the US government.

Fact: Once the oil is drilled and pumped, it becomes' "Exxon's oil" (or whatever company).

Fact: The oil Exxon takes from American federal lands will be put on a WORLD oil market and sold to the highest bidder.

All the drilling demagogues need to keep this in mind: It's not "our" oil once it's out of the ground - it's Exxon's.

So this means drilling BY DEFINITION, means taking American oil and selling it to the rest of the world - how in God's name could that ever be construed, in any way, as "energy independence."?

[Beau]

Geothermal is one of the most epensive ways to get anything done. I mean plus google doesn't do or make anything, so they have the money to spend.

Google =

Man: Hey do you know what this is?
Google: Damned if we know, but try these guys.
Man: Thanks, but hasn't there been sucessful search engines for over 16 years now?
Google: No, we're the first and only.

[davidlane]

Originally Posted by KingElvis

Fact: Right now you could think of the untapped oil in US federal lands as "our" oil, in that it belongs to the US government.

Fact: Once the oil is drilled and pumped, it becomes' "Exxon's oil" (or whatever company).

Fact: The oil Exxon takes from American federal lands will be put on a WORLD oil market and sold to the highest bidder.

All the drilling demagogues need to keep this in mind: It's not "our" oil once it's out of the ground - it's Exxon's.

So this means drilling BY DEFINITION, means taking American oil and selling it to the rest of the world - how in God's name could that ever be construed, in any way, as "energy independence."?

People with the above degree of understanding lead others to make comments like this:

Originally Posted by Pedal 2 Metal

Oh the government...

They take a tremendous amount of money from us, and yet almost none of it is put to good use. How the hell did we get to this point?

[emh]

Originally Posted by Beau

Geothermal is one of the most epensive ways to get anything done.

Tell that to the folks in Iceland where geothermal energy is so cheap they even heat the sidewalks in winter.

I mean plus google doesn't do or make anything, so they have the money to spend.

You think Google doesn't do anything and that advertisers just pay them for the heck of it?

Thanks BigAls87Z28 for embedding the video!

[mbukukanyau]

This is a religious endavor by google. Perhaps Google owners should try steer the company away from politics?

[TiburonJT]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

This is a religious endavor by google. Perhaps Google owners should try steer the company away from politics?

Businesses steering clear of politics!!?? Haven't you looked at who has lobbyists and who spends money on campaigns? Businesses are foolish if they aren't involved in politics.

[tgagneguam]

Google.org (GOOG), the search giant’s philanthropic arm, will invest $6.25 million into AltaRock Energy, a Sausalito, startup, developing EGS technology. The investment is part of $26.25 million round of funding AltaRock revealed on Tuesday. Other investors include marquee green-tech venture capitalists Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Potter Drilling, a Redwood City, Calif., company developing hard-rock drilling technology to be used for geothermal, scored $4 million from Google.org. Other investors include MIT.

Google.org is granting the Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory $489,521 to map North America’s geothermal reserves.

The geothermal funding is the latest investment in renewable energy by Google. It has invested in solar power plant companies BrightSource Energy and eSolar as well as in high-altitude wind company Makani and various ventures related to plug-in hybrid electric cars.

You mean to say private firms are investing their own money in a search for alternative energy sources? They're the ones helping start-ups secure the funding to eventually promote real competition to oil? All this without the helping hand of the government? Individual citizens will also be allowed to own parts of the companies that will profit from alternative energy sources in the future? This is insanity! Surely, the government should stop this development, and we should sit on our hands and wait for the government to do what it hasn't been doing for so long.

America first!

[logansowner]

Only one thing...

Geo thermal is CLEAN...it is NOT renewable. It's still drilling a well into a finite amount of hot water.

It's a great idea, but get the terminology right Google

Also, 11 million is a drop in the bucket, don't let them fool you into thinking this makes them some sort of savior, it's still not going to accomplish anything.

Nice try though. I like Google, and I like the image of saving the world they like to portray, but don't let them BS you into thinking they are doing more than they are.

[bobojay]

Boone Pickens mentioned this fact when he talked to these folks a month or so ago and was astounded by it.....

[ausrutherford]

Why the heck should the government do the drilling. Id rather have them have a better military so wont die...first things first!

[CheetahDC]

Originally Posted by logansowner

Only one thing...

Geo thermal is CLEAN...it is NOT renewable. It's still drilling a well into a finite amount of hot water.

It's a great idea, but get the terminology right Google

Also, 11 million is a drop in the bucket, don't let them fool you into thinking this makes them some sort of savior, it's still not going to accomplish anything.

Nice try though. I like Google, and I like the image of saving the world they like to portray, but don't let them BS you into thinking they are doing more than they are.

While I am also skeptical, they did mention that the steam would be reused.

[CJ Thunder]

Originally Posted by logansowner

Only one thing...

Geo thermal is CLEAN...it is NOT renewable. It's still drilling a well into a finite amount of hot water.

It's a great idea, but get the terminology right Google

Also, 11 million is a drop in the bucket, don't let them fool you into thinking this makes them some sort of savior, it's still not going to accomplish anything.

Nice try though. I like Google, and I like the image of saving the world they like to portray, but don't let them BS you into thinking they are doing more than they are.

They pump water into the ground and let the earth steam it up, so it is not what your saying.

[wildgoosechase]

So a private company is investing in a new venture that the government isn't, sounds like capitalism is working.