Google will announce its entry Tuesday into the small but growing business of “smart grid,” digital technologies that seek to both keep the electrical system on an even keel and reduce electrical energy consumption.
Google is one of a number of companies devising ways to control the demand for electric power as an alternative to building more power plants. The company has developed a free Web service called PowerMeter that consumers can use to track energy use in their house or business as it is consumed.
Google is counting on others to build devices to feed data into PowerMeter technology. While it hopes to begin introducing the service in the next few months, it has not yet lined up hardware manufacturers.
“We can’t build this product all by ourselves,” said Kirsten Olsen Cahill,
Growers beware!
This is why Google will probably rule the earth.
Smart business move. Very smart, IMHO.
The power companies have been reporting unusual power consumption to the police for years.
I think the more information that you can give people the better decisions they make.
It might also be interesting to aggregate this information and use that information to better build infrastructure.
#4
“The power companies have been reporting unusual power consumption to the police for years”
– That may work for industrial sized ops, but average joe grower wouldn’t consume a large enough amount for it to be registered.
From what I can gather about google, it will be more of an itemised receipt than an overall power bill…hence why I think it may catch alot of the smaller fish out there.
As for the rest of your post, I totally agree with what you’re saying….but there’s a positive and negative to everything.
I don’t have a problem with it if they want to sell me a box that sits on my home power grid and monitors usage and then informs me what is going on. But, the information NEVER leaves my property. It isn’t the government or Google’s damn business how I use electricity so long as I pay for it. If I want to run naked through my field at night with huge floodlights (yes, I have large lights illuminating my field if I turn them on) on wasting power it’s my business. Screw them.
If I can afford to pay for it then too damn bad.
# 6 Mr Diesel said, “If I can afford to pay for it then too damn bad.”
Tsk, tsk. That’s not the proper sheeple, communist attitude.
And then the government will restrict power usage as well, turning down your heat for you. Barack Obama said ‘we can’t put our thermostats at 72 and expect other countries to be OK with that’.
I’m curious, during those blackouts in California several years ago, did the wealthy neighborhoods get hit with the rolling blackouts too?
@#6 But, it is the usual slippery slope. They’ll get the foothold for technology via the same bunch of “technology savvy” mindless drones who have bought up their Chrome story. They’ll lobby the Govt. (who has even more interest in tracking everything) for this “green project”. Ending in you being forced to have this device in order to have electricity and Google and Govt. following every step you take under your own floodlights… Only way to stop it is before even one device reaches the customer. Can we start boycotting Google?
They’re going to listen in on your brain through the lightbulbs.
If there’s anything in there, that is.
# 8 MikeN said, “Barack Obama said ‘we can’t put our thermostats at 72 and expect other countries to be OK with that’.”
Did he really say that? LOL! Check out what he actually does, as opposed to what he preaches.
http://huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/29/obama-cranks-up-white-hou_n_162127.html
Typical crim hypocrite…
Ahh. America is right again.
The grown ups are in charge again and the conservatives are carping about “big government intrusion” and trivialities about the president.
But the bottom line is that we will eventually digitize the power grid. Since it will happen, we must create the rules and guidelines for its use.
WTF! This is pointless. If you have the hardware to measure consumption around your home what’s the motivation for sending that info to google? Watt meter’s are relatively cheap and easy to use, I just don’t get this…
#16 There is nothing to get. They don’t have people who read the meters where I live. The data is sent wireless to the power company for each house. Save with nat gas meters.
#1, Jimbo
In San Diego county we grow outdoors all year round. 3 turns per year. No smart grid required!
Just what we need – a company full of greenies who think they know how to best run things fiddling with our electricity.
15,
Did I say that? Don’t put words in my mouth.
Since you didn’t understand what I said, I will reiterate: I mean this is what happens when we do not pay attention to what is being done with developing tech. We must control ther situation or others will do so for us.
Google get more annying day after day.
So, i guess Google should go work public.
Obama should handle this issue and organize a conference at the UNO with some of the google staff. Then, we will alloud google to access to that new market! no?