In Part I of this two-part blog post, I laid the foundation of a theory that one day Google will be more and more involved in our daily lives in the physical world.  From phones with the Google-sponsored Android operating system to washing machines and microwaves running Android to a tablet controller for all of these devices, there is a real possibility that we could see Google become integrated into our home's functional operations.

But these devices will use electricity, and yes, Google will be there, involved in the next step of the chain -- energy.

 

Reason #4:  Google Will Help You Manage Your Energy Usage

Utilities around the world are embracing their customers' desires to manage their energy use at home.  Whether it is from the perspective of cost or environmental stewardship, customers want the ability to monitor how much electricity appliances, HVAC systems and water heaters are consuming in their homes.  They seem to be willing to shift behaviors and consumption patterns based on electricity pricing.  With more utilities rolling out "smart meter" programs that transmit usage and billing data back to the utility company wirelessly, consumers have the possibility of accessing their own usage data in 15, 10, 5 or even 1 minute increments.

Google hopes to help consumers do this with a program called "PowerMeter".  By partnering with utilties and display manufacturers, Google is hoping to provide the API and visualization component needed to give customers the electricity consumption information that they want.  During the peak times of the day, customers can curtail energy use in exchange for a utility offering a better rate for them during off-peak times if they do so.  But a customer would need to to know when they're using the most electricity, which appliances/equipment were using the most electricity and how much it is costing them to run their home at a given time.

But Google isn't wanting to build monitoring devices or meters.

Google wants your electricity usage data -- the data that shows your usage patterns and energy behaviors in the household.  There's no charge to the consumer for this PowerMeter "cloud" service.  People will want to use a free tool that uses an online service that they are already familiar with if it helps them manage their energy bills.

And once millions of people's energy usage and trend data is with Google, it is a veritable marketing cornucopia.


Reason #5:  Google Will Become an Electricity Marketer

Just this month, Google submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to allow the "Google Energy, LLC" subsidiary to purchase wholesale power from other electricity providers.  So if someone wanted to start an energy company and create power solely from, say, pond algae, then Google would be allowed to take this energy and purchase it directly from this company rather than being required to purchase their electricty from whomever supplies the electricity at Google's physical location.

Google claims that they are only wanting to do become a wholesale electricity marketer because they want to control costs at their data centers and gain access to the types of carbon-neutral energy sources that align with Google's "green" intiatives.  Other companies, such as grocery store chain Safeway and Wal-Mart have also filed for this status for the same environmental reasons.

And here's where it gets interesting to see Google as an energy wholesale marketer.  By gaining this FERC approval, not only do they position themselves as energy consumers on the wholesale market, but they also have the opportunity to be wholesale sellers.  Who could they sell to?

...'you' and 'me' via our own electricity provider.  One day, we could actually be using electricity from our local "XYZ Utility Company" that was generated by a venture capital renewable energy provider and sold to Google Energy, LLC.

With renewable energy legislation being pushed through the U.S. Congress, utilities nationwide could be required to provide up to 20% of their customers' electricity using renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and other less common sources.  Those utilities that don't have renewable energy resources in their territories could be given the option to purchase enough renewable energy on the wholesale market in order to make up the portion required by proposed legislation.


Google Will Win Our Homes

Whether we like it or not, Google is here to stay for the near term. From the basic Android OS smartphone, all the way to providing us the very electricity that we use to recharge that very phone, Google is becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives.  Right now, Google might just have someone looking into what will be come the next player in a conglomerate of small LLC's.

...Like, maybe, Google "Store", formerly known as Amazon.com?