According to Google:
Google PowerMeter, now in prototype, will receive information from utility smart meters and energy management devices and provide anyone who signs up access to her home electricity consumption right on her iGoogle homepage. The graph below shows how someone could use this information to figure out how much energy is used by different household activites.
The key idea is to form partnerships to roll out this initiative.
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It's a great green initiative, consistent with its mission: organizing and making information available to users in a personal, simple and useful way. The value proposition for customers is focused on saving energy & money.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting that severeal industry groups are also working with smart meters, smart grids and energy information including members such as: IBM, Accenture, CISCO, HP, SAP, MS, Texas Instruments, GE, Motorola, Comcast, GE, Philips, Samsung, Hitachi, LG, etc.
We talked in class about how strategic partnerships within the IT value chain are critical to success, but in this case it's partnerships with entities outside of the IT value chain that are critical. In some respect it's an illustration of the changing and more integrated role of IT.
ReplyDeleteContinuing on Fanny's point, our clean tech class heard a talk from a person from GridPoint, (http://www.gridpoint.com/) a start up from the area. GridPoint installs power meters in homes and businesses and works with utilities to help smooth demand, especially during peak times. For example, if in the summer demand was reaching capacity, instead of firing up an on-demand plant or having a black/brown out, GridPoint could turn down the brightness of the lights in all the Stop and Shop stores by 20% or shut off the freezers at the Bryers factory (some examples from the presentation). I wonder if Google would try something like this as it gathers data on its customers. Although, could customers have a problem with Google taking over their "offline" lives.
ReplyDeleteThis initiative also positions them for possible arguments for government assistance or tax benefits, since energy efficiency is quickly becoming a government focus. This was also needed from a public relations standpoint, since they recently received some negative press about how much of a energy hog Google really is (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece). This has been recently attacked by google fan boys and others that believe the Internet giant can do no wrong. The truth in the matter is that the world's IT industry does produce 2% of the world's CO2 emissions, which is small, but growing at an alarming rate. If we follow the idea of the trends we are examining in this class, how long will it be until IT is a major contributor to planetary destruction?
ReplyDeleteGoogle is not pursuing a new idea here: http://www.fatspaniel.com/platform/index.html
ReplyDeleteBut a more interesting idea is looking at the expansion of Google's mission: http://www.google.org/rec.html
Even thought this is nonprofit arm, they are definitely into the energy game. True this energy platform is consistent with their "information" pursuits, but it seems like it will just be the start, not the end.
I love Nick's pessimistic comment. While it might be true that IT is becoming a major source of CO2 emissions, it needs to be put in perspective.
ReplyDeleteLook at the manufacturing plants that grew during the industrial era. When they were new they definitely were one of the major pollutants and have had the opportunity(or obligation) to change practices as the industry matured.
As IT becomes more predominant in today's businesses it's only logical that it now takes the lead in this (no so nice aspect) also. Companies like HP and IBM are producing more energy efficient products and with Google and other companies taking the initiate in controlling such emissions I don't think IT will come close to the devastation produced by other industries in the past.