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Google's New Mirror Technology to Cut Costs for Solar Development? Possibly...in Three Years
Green Technology Featured Articles
March 01, 2010

Google's New Mirror Technology to Cut Costs for Solar Development? Possibly...in Three Years

By Kelly McGuire
TMCnet Editor

As green technology continues on the up and up, bigger name companies are becoming increasingly interested in this evolving marketing.
 
That being said, Internet mogul Google (News - Alert) has reportedly developed a new mirror technology that – for solar thermal plant developers – could potentially cut building costs in half.

 
According to reports at CNBC, Google’s Bill Weihl said that, if all goes well with testing, the product could potentially be ready in three years.
 
What makes the product so unique is its unusual material makeup which allows the sun to reflect off a surface, causing it to heat, thus producing steam to run the turbine. With Google’s new invention, the mirror focuses the sun’s rays on the heated substance.
 
This rumor comes around a time when the Internet mogul has been investing in companies in the renewable energy market, while also doing its own research part in efforts to be more progressive in the movement.
 
And with this mirror technology, Google’s plans are to cost of making heliostats, the fields of mirrors that track the sun.
 
'There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost,' Weihl said.
 
For those interested, they’ll have to wait and see how the mirror technology will do in Google’s testing and development stages, albeit three years? Seems a bit long. My prediction is that by that time, some other company may snap up the idea and excitement before 2013.
 

Kelly McGuire is a TMCnet Web editor, covering CRM and workforce technologies, and anchor of its daily TMC Newsroom video broadcast. Kelly also writes about eco-friendly "green" technologies and smart grids, compiling TMCnet's weekly e-Newsletters on those topics, as well as the cable industry. To read more of Kelly's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Kelly McGuire


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