Clean Energy Innovation, Analyzed by Google

If you haven’t read Google.org’s Clean Energy Innovation Report, you probably should.

Google is well-known for investing heavily in clean energy technology, so when they put together a comprehensive report on the economic potential of clean energy innovation, we take notice. In this report, Google has sought to balance the interests of economic growth, environmental sustainability, and national security. Not too surprisingly, the report finds that clean energy can support all three of these interests. Of course, there is a catch – three actually.

Nobody, not even Google (with its vast computing brain power) suggests that the transition to a clean energy technology based future will be easy. In fact, it will take movement in three areas to see a clean future. In no particular order, the U.S. needs energy innovation, speed of action, and policy supports. Sure, those three needs come as no surprise to anyone who is interested in a green economy, but the report’s strength lies in its data.

The report states that, based on their modeling, Google.org believes “agressive energy innovation” can:

• Grow the US economy by over $155 billion in GDP/year ($244 billion with Clean Policy)
• Create over 1.1 million new net jobs (1.9 million with Clean Policy)
• Save US consumers over $942/household/year ($995 with Clean Policy)
• Reduce US oil consumption by over 1.1 billion barrels/year
• Reduce US total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 13% (21% with Clean Policy)

So, take a few moments to read through the report. It is available at the Google.org site, which also includes a link to a Low Carbon Economics Tool that “estimates potential economic implications of various policies.”

Image via Google.org

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