Is Google's Energy Endeavor Its Next Step In World Domination?

business.theatlantic.com...

First, the internet. Then smartphones. Now it looks like Google wants its piece of the energy pie as well. The company created a "Google Energy" subsidiary last month. It's also applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to be allowed to buy and sell power, like utilities. What exactly does the internet search leader want with energy? To be that much closer to taking over the world? Possibly. But it's more likely that the company just wants to enhance and protect its profit margin.

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[edit on 9-1-2010 by murfdog]

Well just goes to show us that Google is still a company with vision. They see what most of us already know. Cap and trade is going to crush the little consumers like us and be a windfall profit explosion for the energy traders. You know guys like Al Gore and General electric.
Now it looks like Google wants its slice of the pie as well. I guess we can’t blame them. We do live in a capitalistic society and if they see a way to increase there profit margin than god bless them. Or maybe they just really feel the need to go green.
I do however blame the A-holes we sent to Washington to represent us, for trying to stick us in the rear with this peace of crap legislation. Think about it people we have a internet search engine trying to become an energy provider. It’s gone to be bad folks.
Kill that cap and trade bill


(visit the link for the full news article)




[mod edit: title - skewing page]

[edit on 9-1-2010 by 12m8keall2c]

I don't see this as a bad thing, Google gives a lot out for practically free. If it wanted to nickel and dime like some other companies which I will not mention they could be either less successful or about 30 times richer than what they are. I think Google is going to be at the front of pushing innovative technologies out for a long time.

Surprise, surprise:

Bilderberg attendance is by invitation only. And if you want an invitation, you'd better be extremely rich or extremely powerful.

New invitees reportedly include the nouveau riche Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt. Henry Kissinger, a lynchpin of continuity with other secretive internationalist groups including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, is a regular attendee, as is Wall Street Journal Editor Paul Gigot.

source

One of Google's main overheads is the cost of running all the Google servers. Buying into the energy sector will allow it to minimise costs and expand profit margins. They're heading for a zero-carbon footprint and are rumored to be looking into the wind-farm renewable energy area. This will offset their carbon emissions, minimise costs and *ideally* eventually lead to selling power back to the national grid.

'World domination??' In internet terms, they are already a dominant presence. Google aren't dumb. Mining data, storing information, targeted advertisements and having growing profits is foundation work and ultimately finite. The business incentive is 'maximise and increase profit.' It's inevitable that Google will begin to grow tentacles and stick 'em in other businesses. I guess we sit back and watch if they overreach or expand too quickly. Microsoft has already shown them a number of ways how NOT to expand!

I suppose it was inevitable the companys rise has been meteoric. However the poster who mentioned cap and trade may possibly have a point. If that bill does pass, which i pray it wont, then this move will make them a ton of money. I don't know enough about google to decide one way or the other whether this is sinister in even a loose sense of the word but them being invited to Bilderberger raises a flag for me. I don't believe the meeting is a round table of bond-like villains plotting world domination but the closed door, media blackout event, to me reeks of backdoor business deals and monopolizing markets through agreements with the biggest players as well as getting the media in tune on how to report the success, failures and mergers that may result of the deals made there.

Either way I suppose its a good move for google who knows what it'll mean for us in the long run.

Cheers

It may have something to do with this little project I heard about, too:

Google Power Meter


It seems that they are trying to empower energy consumers to have more control over their consumption. That can't be a bad thing.

Personally... if my multi-billion dollar empire was entirely dependant on having a steady, reliable and constant stream of electricity, I'd want my own energy company too

I got to goto the Google offices about 3 years ago for a collaboration project with the company I was with at the time. They get more perks for working there than anywhere I've ever seen or even heard about, that place is amazing.

If the world has to be ruled by a single entity, I'd count your lucky stars, everyday, that it would be Google.

Why is it in America that when your a small business, you're praised ad nassium, but when your small business grows up into a large corporation, you become the enemy. It's like you're encouraged to succeed, to a point, and then there's an invisible line in the sand which, once crossed, you become the enemy of the people?

[edit on 1/9/2010 by ZombieOctopus]

reply to post by ZombieOctopus

Why is it in America that when your a small business, you're praised ad nassium, but when your small business grows up into a large corporation, you become the enemy. It's like you're encouraged to succeed, to a point, and then there's an invisible line in the sand which, once crossed, you become the enemy of the people?

Is it because they have everyone's freaky porno searches stored forever that has 'em all squirming? Hhhmmm.....last Friday when the house was empty? Gulp!

reply to post by Kandinsky


You're thinking of Poongle

reply to post by thebulldog


I don’t think Google is looking to dominate the world either. (I think… LOL).
But I do think they have some of the smartest business minds on the planet working for them. Agreed they do require large amounts of energy to run and more importantly cool there servers. The point that I’m trying to make is that I’ve never heard of a company that is not in the manufacturing industry starting it own Energy Company just to meet there needs. Its usually not cost affective.
These geniuses at Google have figured out that if the senate pass cap & trade they along with every other business in America will be subject to an energy market that will fluctuate like the petroleum market does. Every time the Middle East farts it costs me and you more to fill are cars up with gas. Right? Well the market for energy will be manipulated on a daily bases by speculators trading carbon credits similar to the way they do oil and other commodities every day (except Saturdays) at the Chicago board of trade.
We do remember $140.00 dollar barrel oil just before the crash of 08 don’t we? That was caused largely by speculators thinking the price for oil would be higher in the future, not due to the real needs of our economy. Google being a “clean Energy” provider will be eligible to buy and sell carbon credits on the open market. Possibly for a profit. Possibly a very big profit.
www.ecomii.com...
Think of it like gold for a moment. Contracts for gold are bought and sold every day by speculators on the open market. Some make money, some loose money, but they all have one thing in common. None of them ever see or touch the gold they buy and sell. (Except for maybe china but that’s a story for another day.)And there are more contracts for gold on the market than gold available.
Google is positioning it self to get in on the next big thing the green energy thing is just window dressing.
Sorry for the long post,
Murfdog

I posted this same comment in the other thread about this subject, but here it is again.

Google is one of my most respected companies out in the world. Not saying I believe every company can operate based on a "nice" factor, but since it has worked for Google I give them my respect.

Google world domination? Couldn't be worse than what we have now

reply to post by FritosBBQTwist


Well i guess great minds think a like.

I see this move as a brilliant move on Google's part because our existing power grid is antiquated and subject to political meddling. In the event of an emergency, everyone that depends on the existing power grid is going to be out of business until major capital investment is spent to recover. Current projections do not give our power grid system the ability to recover for years due in part to the limited number of electrical components that can be produced in any given year. Since the ability to produce is not sufficient to recover operational ability in a timely fashion, Google's move into energy/electrical power generation will ensure that Google is running and functioning while others are placed out of business because they have no electrical power to function.

Google with the cooperation of the government may be about to use new secret energy technologies that will allow it to become the energy provider they seek to become. While we may never know the real reasons for this Google move, I see it as a positive move to ensure viability during emergencies and as a means of being able to function during periods of extreme emergency whenever power is unavailable and or contributes to potential loss of computing and telephonic services to the public and to the governmental agencies that depend on Google for data and computing services important to intelligence agencies and the federal government.

Who knows, in the future Google could provide the Internet and all cell phone companies with power that will not be impacted by any failure of the nations power grid. In such a way, Google would be contributing to the significant web computing and cell phone business model while ensuring a huge market share for Google. I am certain that Google and the federal government see this as win win situation for everyone concerned regardless of whether or not we understand the true corporate reasons for such a bold move.

Originally posted by Kandinsky
reply to post by ZombieOctopus

 

Why is it in America that when your a small business, you're praised ad nassium, but when your small business grows up into a large corporation, you become the enemy. It's like you're encouraged to succeed, to a point, and then there's an invisible line in the sand which, once crossed, you become the enemy of the people?

Is it because they have everyone's freaky porno searches stored forever that has 'em all squirming? Hhhmmm.....last Friday when the house was empty? Gulp!

There's a episode of South Park that show's this pretty well, A wall-mart comes around and all the local businesses lose money.. So in South Park fashion they destroy it and decide to go to the local guy, he gets all the business and becomes the new wall-mart... they destroy that too.

reply to post by murfdog


Its been a while since i`ve watched this .... it my be of interest to you.

. Can a 100 MW fusion reactor be built for less than Google's annual electricity bill? Come see what's possible when you think outside the thermonuclear box and ignore the herd.

Should Google Go Nuclear?

reply to post by UmbraSumus


thanks for the link umbrasumus, sounds like some great stuff. Its a bit long, hopefuly I'll be able to watch the whole thing this week.

I can't stand google...they are an evil and vicious company. Try to avoid anything to do with google if i can help it. As for moving into the energy market i doubt they will gobble up much of it but im sure they will make a tidy profit as they usually do.

[edit on 10-1-2010 by Solomons]

I seem to recall reading about one of the guys from Google inventing a super-cheap way to manufacture solar cells.

Anyone know anything about that? (I'm too disinterested in this thread to look any of this up). But you have a "piece of the puzzle," have fun with it.