Neither Al Gore nor Leonardo DiCaprio were in attendance at the opening of the 4th annual IBF Clean-tech Investor Summit in Palm Desert, Calif., but for the record crowd of about 600 venture investors, startup entrepreneurs and industry hangers-on it's hard to imagine a kickoff speaker with more star power than Dan Reicher, the former U.S. Assistant Energy Secretary, recently tapped to head Google Inc.'s [GOOG] climate and energy initiatives.
Reicher, an engaging speaker who opened with a string of personal and Washington insider anecdotes, presented Google as a benifecent potential sugar daddy at all levels in the emergent cleantech sector. He promised that Google, through its Google.org efforts, will not only lead with its own example in adopting innovative energy savings and generating alternative energy at its own facilities, but also finance projects through the venture stage and well into the feared "Valley of Death," where project financing structures will be required to help bring early stage technology development onto the market.
Google is focusing on solar energy, deep geothermal development and enabling technologies, and through its RE<C (renewable energy less than coal) initiative is committed to advancing cost efficient electricity sources to rival the cost of coal, which currently accounts for about half of U.S. electrical capacity and 40% of global capacity. Reicher, who directed $1 billion a year in alternative energy programs at the Department of Energy, said Google had planned to announce it would generate 1.2 gigawatts of its own renewable energy just so that it could link its press release to a reference to the movie "Back to The Future," in which the time machine required that much energy. But "adults" at Google nixed the idea, Reicher said.
To which at least one audience member queried: "There are adults at Google?" -- Clifford Carlsen
See Googleblog at blogspot
See November 2007 story from Tech Confidential
For conference information, see IBFConferences.com
For more see NiceTrends.com, Alternative Energy Investor and Radikal Technology
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Here's the deal Google . If you mean what you say , I have a better than ideal situation ( ideal being a WIN , WIN, WIN situation ) with 4 ways to Win . I live in Arizona , Bullhead City to be exact ,across the Colorado River from Laughlin Nevada , home to the largest coal fired slurry plant in the world . At the moment , the EPA has deemed it a dinosour because of high coal burn emissions and has shut down production since January 07. Win # 1- This is your chance to be the champion of Green Power by killing off the coal fired dragon . You level the likes of the smoke spewing beast and at a special photo op moment , Al Gore appears to endorse your efforts .Your stock goes up , guaranteed .Win # 2- Because power plants need transmission lines and because the sale of the power plant includes such infrastructure , you have a singular position of controlling one of the largest conduits to Southern California's energy needs . Your the Gate Keeper Baby ! Cha Ching .Win # 3- Because Solar works best in the sun , DUH, we live in one of the hottest spots in the world if not the nation and sun is what is we got . Big Time . I've been here at 127 degrees and moving from the Bay Area, that is hot as hell but must be good for something like a 50 acre PV Solar Farm , and a Steam Powered Turbine Tower with reflective mirror technology . The 30 story Tower ,with The Google Logo . Ya gotta love it . And now the 4th win . Senator Harry Reed hates coal and wants you more than you know . He is ready, willing and able to be your man in Washington and coincidently has stated publicly in a Laughlin Nevada town hall meeting this year , he wants to turn this very idea into reality . So there Google . The #### in your court . cometobhc 9:21 PM