Google to Sell Power + Bloom Box?

The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission has granted Google the right to behave like a utility. Google Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google, will be able to sell back excess energy produced as would a utility company. This is a big step as anyone who has considered home solar installation knows that net metering can be a real limiter on how big an installation is built. Why put in extra energy producing capacity if you can't sell it back to the grid? Well, now Google can, and what's more, they can actually focus on producing energy with the intent to sell.

Most people have heard about Google's massive solar installations that help to power the Googleplex as well as their data centers across the world. They've even got solar parking covers that charge employee hybrids and EV's while they work! Recently Google also put in micro powerplants called Bloom Boxes that convert fuel + oxygen into efficient local electricity. This technology was just revealed on 60 minutes today and the company is backed by Kleiner Perkins (the same guys who funded Google and many other successful startups in the Bay Area). The video segment covering Bloom Box is below:



By leveraging their existing search, email, and advertising customer relationships with efficient clean energy options Google will have access to more information that can be used for... advertising! and other Googly things. Considering the potential micropower boom that Bloom Box could create with the help of an ally of Google, and Google's new license to sell power, I'm optimistic and excited to see what happens next!