Geotimes magazine examines Google’s efforts to develop affordable renewable energy in the April issue, available online and on newsstands now.

Google, Inc. launched RE<C: Renewable Energy cheaper than Coal in November 2007. The goal is to bring renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal, to prices low enough to compete with coal within the next 10 years.

Energy from coal-fired power plants runs from 2 to 4 cents per kilowatt hour, making it the cheapest energy source worldwide. Its price and availability make it the most used energy source in the world. But while it is affordable, it also accounts for at least 20 percent of the global greenhouse emissions. Currently, wind and geothermal energy cost on average at least 5 cents per kilowatt hour, while solar energy is even more expensive at 10 to 40 cents per kilowatt hour. To make these energy sources widely available and attractive to consumers, prices have to drop. Improved ways to efficiently harness these renewable resources to turn them into power are close at hand, but Google thinks a serious push is needed to develop these technologies to make them more accessible to the general public.

Learn about Google’s investments to improve technology on already existing renewable energy sources in the latest issue of Geotimes magazine, available now on newsstands and on the Web.

[Megan Sever @ American Geological Institute]