The Ashimmy Blog: Google - a general in the green revolution or are they tilting at windmills?

OK I admit it. As I wrote earlier I am reading Friedman's book Hot, Flat and Crowded. I am very charged up about the challenges we face and what it is going to take to really change the world. When I read about Google's 4.4 trillion dollar clean energy plan I was intrigued. There was a time when a number like 4 trillion would really peak my interest, but in these times of 700 billion dollar bailouts, what is a measly 4 trillion anyway. Beyond the numbers though, the Google plan is rather simple.

Switch from producing electricity with coal and oil to wind, solar and geothermal.
Make cars hybrid and electric to use these clean electrons that these new electricity sources generate.
Make our electronics, especially PCs, data centers and computing gear more efficient

If we can do these three things, we could unlock millions of new jobs and change the world. You can read more directly from the Google folks here. The cost would be about 4.4 trillion and we would have a net return of 1 trillion by 2030. I especially like the smart house idea that like in Friedman's book, gives consumers the ability to use electricity based upon up to the second pricing. This recognizes that there are peak times and non-peak times and prices should be different for each.

All of this is well and good, but is this Google's new mission? I know they want to change the world, but I thought it was by cataloging the worlds information. Yeah, they are supposed to be a cool company and all, but should our energy policies and plans be coming from the guys who bring us search? Is Google biting off more than it can chew by plowing cycles into this? They are trying to figure out how to monetize their business beyond search. They have the whole android thing going on, plus countless other projects in beta. Do they have the cycles to spend on the energy plan?

If you are a shareholder in Google do you want to see them spending a ton of money on this unless they can show where there will be a return on this investment? Google may in fact be a great company. But if they are spending money on figuring out how to solve the world's energy issues without a way of becoming a major player in that market and making huge profits by it, what are they doing. Is their too much fat in Google's budget? Are they tilting at windmills (and maybe solar panels too)?