If you take late nineties proto-rave band The Shamen’s advice, e’s are good. If you take the philanthropic arm of Google’s advice (that’s Google.org), eSolar’s good.
Good enough to invest a shedload of cash in, that is.
eSolar has received a nice round $130 million from its investors, which include Google.org, Idealab, Oak Investment Partners and assorted yet unnamed others, which it will put towards the construction and deployment of pre-fabricated power plants.
eSolar’s stock in trade is modular solar power stations, which can supply between 33MW and 500MW of capacity.
Google’s is search, but it has spanked a fair few bob on all sorts of renewable energy. Here’s a recap:
• Brookings Institution: $200,000 to support a conference in spring 2008 on federal policy to promote plug-in hybrids
• CalCars: $200,000 multi-year grant to the California Cars Initiative to support their work educating the public about plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)
• Electric Power Research Institute: $200,000 to support EPRI’s plug-in vehicle research and development program including participating in advanced infrastructure development, vehicle-to-grid technology demonstrations, and studies of the environmental and economic benefits of plug-ins
• Plug-In America: $100,000 to raise public awareness of and to advocate for plug-in transportation options
• Rocky Mountain Institute: $200,000 to partially fund an ‘Innovation Workshop’ to promote new strategies for greater production and market adoption of plug-in next-generation hybrid vehicles
• Dr. Willett Kempton at University of Delaware: $150,000 for megawatt plug-in to grid research and implementation planning