Earlier today, we spotlit an excellent blog post co-authored by Google CEO Eric Schmidt about how energy efficiency policies and enterprises will infuse the economy. The opportunity is so great that the search engine has staked out its own claim with the launch of its home energy management system, PowerMeter, a tool that allows you to view your energy consumption and what it's costing you right in your internet browser. As omnipotent as Google sometime seems, the service's rollout is still dependent on partnerships with utilities and Smart Grid device makers -- and the company is avidly pursuing both.
Some have said that Google PowerMeter could reach hundreds of thousands of homes as early as the end of this year -- if all goes well. The company itself says that that figure is probably an overstatement, and that a lot of factors would have to click perfectly into place to make it happen.
Somewhat unusual for Google, the system actually depends on an independent device that connects to users' fuse boxes or smart meters and wirelessly beams basic energy use data back to servers where it can be sliced and diced and served up in a usable format. Right now, it is working with major smart meter supplier Itron. Google says it is looking to partner with at least one more major maker of these devices before the end of the year.
It will also look to make deals with up to a dozen more utilities to deploy Google PowerMeter in their coverage areas. All of these utilities already need to have installed smart meters -- a new type of meter that wirelessly beams energy consumption data in real time to both utilities and their customers. So far, Google has recruited nine such energy providers into its fold: Glasgow EPB (Kentucky), JEA (Northeast Florida), Reliance Energy (India), San Diego Gas and Electric, Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited, TXU Energy (Texas), White River Valley Electric Cooperative (Missouri), Wisconsin Public Service, and Yello Strom (Germany). This list will probably more than double by the end of this year, Google says. It's unclear whether it's already initiated talks with other companies, and if so who.
Even if the company is able to solidify these partnerships, PowerMeter's success and market share -- vying against competitors like Microsoft's similar Hohm service -- will still rest on Google's ability to implement new technologies. When the service was first announced, it said eventually users would be able to see energy data for individual appliances. In order for this to happen, companies like Whirlpool and General Electric will need to come out with more "smart appliances" (like the clothes dryer Whirlpool plans to sell a million of by 2011). Either that, or new sensors will need to be developed to facilitate communication between older appliances and the PowerMeter interface. On top of that, all of these players will need to agree on and adopt an open set of standards that allow free communication between a range of devices, networks and brands.
For the time being, Google says it will wait to see how the standards skirmish shakes out (it says it's keeping an eye on the standards drafting process overseen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, but playing no major role), opting instead to hunker down and make as many allies as possible. That way, when the technology does become available, it can sprint to hit that rumored "hundreds of thousands" goal sometime next year.
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