Google pulls plug on renewable energy plan

Google Inc. has abandoned an ambitious project to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, the latest target of Chief Executive Larry Page's moves to focus the Internet giant on fewer efforts.

Google said on Tuesday that it was pulling the plug on seven projects, including Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal as well as a Wikipedia-like online encyclopedia service known as Knol.

The plans, which Google announced on its corporate blog, represent the third so-called "spring cleaning" announcement that Google has made since Google co-founder Page took the reins in April.

The changes come as Google is facing stiff competition in mobile computing and social networking from Apple Inc and Facebook, and as some investors have groused about rising spending at the world's No.1 Internet search company.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45409951/ns/business-oil_and_energy/

> Google began making investments and doing research into technology to
> drive down the price of renewable energy in 2007, with a particular focus
> on solar power technology.
>
> In 2009, the company's so-called Green Energy Czar, Bill Weihl, told Reuters
> that he expected to demonstrate within a few years working technology that
> could produce renewable energy at a cheaper price than coal.
>
> A Google spokesman said that Weihl had left Google earlier this month.

Looks like the traditional corporatists have won at Google - short-term profit
above all else.

:-(