When Google.org invested $10.25 million in EGS technology last summer, Reicher said that the technology “could be the ‘killer app’ of the energy world. It has the potential to deliver vast quantities of power 24/7 and be captured nearly anywhere on the planet.”
Google aims to empower consumers with energy data, thus creating an opportunity for Google to manage the data. Reicher called for the Committee to “push the DOE to make large investments in smart meter deployment,” and to back technology and devices that give electricity users a more accurate picture of their electricity usage “in as near real time as possible.” For example, devices like Google’s PowerMeter, which should be available by the end of the year.
