Clean Energy 2030: An Ambitious Plan from an Ambitious Company

                                                                                         

Google, the Internet search engine giant, has long been a proponent of a greener, more biofriendly planet. As reported earlier in our articles, the company has made a major investment in solar power. Now, Google has proposed an ambitious plan by the name of Clean Energy 2030. The purpose of this plan is to achieve a significant reduction in fossil fuels and resulting harmful emissions by the year 2030.


The proposal suggests a 3-pronged approach.

- Saving energy by learning to do more with less. For example, personal computers waste about 50% of the power they use. Developing more energy-efficient computers could result in saving enough energy to eliminate 10-20 coal-fired power plants by 2010. In most states energy use is estimated to increase by about 1% per year. However, in California, due to improved efficiency standards, building codes and utility programs, the per-capita energy consumption has remained flat for years. Implementing such measures across the nation could assist greatly in keeping rising energy demands in check.

- Create renewable energy that is cheaper than coal. Promising technologies include wind power, concentrated solar power (CSP) and geothermal power sources.

- Electrical transportation. Plug-in hybrids can achieve 90 miles per gallon or better, while of course electrical cars do not use any gasoline at all. Google is working with General Electric to establish a "smart grid" power distribution system where the consumer can recharge his plug-in hybrid during "off-hours" when electricity is cheaper and more plentiful and where the consumer can monitor the cost per kilowatt-hour at a glance.


Projected improvements from implementing the Clean Energy 2030 proposal are:

- An 88% reduction in fossil fuel-based electricity generation

- A 38% reduction in vehicle oil consumption

- A 33% reduction in foreign oil importation

- A 95% reduction in electricity-based CO2 emissions

- A 38% reduction in personal vehicle CO2 emissions

- A 48% overall reduction in US CO2 emissions

To achieve these results the proposal suggests the following distribution of renewable energy sources to replace all coal and oil power generation by 2030.

- 300 gigawatts (GW) on-shore and 80 GW off-shore wind power

- 170 GW photovoltaic (PV) and 80 GW concentrated solar power (CSP)

- 15 GW conventional geothermal and 85 GW enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)

Moreover, in the transportation arena, the following is projected.

- Plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles to amount to 90% of new car sales by 2030

- Conventional vehicle fuel economy to increase to 45 mpg by 2030

- An increased turn-over rate of vehicle fleet by 2030 from 19 to 13 years


Although the cost of implementation will be high (about $4.4 trillion in 2008 dollars) by 2030 a resulting net savings of about $1 trillion will have ensued. Implementing a proposal such as this one cannot be done without a strong commitment from federal and state governments, as well as broad support from the private sector.


The change in emphasis from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on renewable sources would create a large number of new jobs. For example, according to the US Department of Energy, an additional 293 GW of wind power will produce 476,000 new jobs by 2030.


Google is to be commended for its efforts in improving the environment. The scenario envisioned by the Clean Energy 2030 Proposal is a bold one, but achievable if enough people recognize the need to act. And once the environmental movement gains momentum, the results can be even more favorable than the proposal’s estimates.


Another company that distinguishes itself in promoting a greener and cleaner planet is Biofriendly Corporation, which produces Green Plus®, a liquid fuel catalyst that provides a cleaner, more linear fuel burn in internal combustion engines, resulting in fewer harmful emissions, increased torque and better fuel economy.

For more information about Green Plus visit the Biofriendly website at www.biofriendly.com.

About the author:
Peter Verhoeff is a freelance writer who contributes articles on environmental issues for Biofriendly Corporation. More information about environmental issues can be found at http://www.biofriendly.com.


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