Google Searching for Better Solar Tech

Google has exponentially busied itself by stirring numerous unlikely pots, including a mobile phone operating system (Android) and its own Web browser (Chrome). But now the Mountain View company is entering a whole new ballpark.

According to a Reuters article, Google is developing its own mirror technology for use in solar thermal plants. Unlike photovoltaic solar panels, which convert the sun's energy directly into electricity, solar thermal technology gathers, concentrates and then uses the generated heat to create steam, which then turns a turbine (similar to how nuclear energy works).

Google's green energy czar (They have a czar?) Bill Weihl told Reuters that the company was so underwhelmed by current technology that it decided to throw its own hat into the ring:

"We're not there yet. I'm very hopeful we will have mirrors that are cheaper than what companies in the space are using."

Weihl said Google is experimenting with some "very unusual materials" for use as mirrors with the goal of reducing the cost of heliostats -- the arrays of mirrors that track the sun and concentrate its energy -- through greater efficiency. The company said it may unveil a viable technology as soon as a couple of months.

What's next, the Google electric car?

Image courtesy of Google