Google blew $40 million on Windmills
Google really likes to spend money on clean energy projects. But $40 million on Windmills? This has nothing to do with Google’s core business. Why burn the money?
Google creating an $86 million low-income housing tax credit
Image: Courtesy of Journal of Tax Credits
At the end of last August, Google announced it was creating an $86 million low income tax credit fund with US Bancorp. In a press release announcing the news Google VP/treasurer Brent Callinicos said, “In recent years there has been a void in affordable housing investment. Our investment with USBCDC allows us to further our goal of providing relief to people who otherwise may not have access to quality housing.”
Google will be able to offset federal tax liabilities for years thanks to this one, says TechCrunch
Playing the Energy Market
Image: Associated Press
Google is selling energy on the spot market thanks to a deal where it bought 114 megawatts of Wind power from NextEra Energy. It’s a very unusual move to say the least. The power would be enough to power several data centers, but Google doesn’t have data centers near the Iowa windfarm it bought the energy from. So, Google is just speculating.
Beekeeper
Image: Mercury News
In fairness to Google, this one isn’t that weird and it’s not that expensive. Google has an official beekeeper. He takes care of 4 bee’s nests on Google’s campus. The chef at Google thought it would be a good idea to have bees nearby for fresh honey.
Invested $1 million in shweeb, a human powered monorail
This one is just crazy. Shweeb puts people in clear pods which are powered by people kicking their legs as if on a bicycle. Google gave the company $1 million to see if it can make the Shweeb an eco-friendly transportation company.
Google fiber optics for a super fast internet
Image: via Trends Updates
Google is building a super fast fiber Internet network in Kansas City. Why? Well a Google rep once tried to explain to us that it’s good for Google if more people use high speed Internet. Okay, we guess. But why is Google doing this?
Investment in Clearwire
Image: jwalsh via Flickr
Google invested $500 million in Clearwire a few years back. At the time, Google said Clearwire would, “provide wireless consumers with real choices for the software applications, content and handsets that they desire.” And that’s why it was investing. Clearly, it changed its mind about Clearwire at some point because it hasn’t put anymore money in. And we’re not sure how the investment helps Google now.
Prototype mirror for solar
Google is very into the clean energy market. To that end it’s investing in building a prototype of a solar panel that could reduce the cost of solar energy by 2X. Neat. But again, why is GOOGLE doing this? (We’re being a bit facetious, of course. We know why — Larry Page believes in dreaming big, and trying to change the world. But why not spin out the solar project?)
$3.9 million in 23andMe
Image: Robert Scoble via Flickr
The decision to invest $3.9 million in 23andMe, the startup founded by Sergey Brin’s wife was controversial. 23andMe immediately used the money to pay back Sergey who had loaned $2.6 million out of his own pocket. This has nothing to do with Google’s core business, and it sure looks bad, so why do it?
The $30 million Google Lunar X Prize
Image: via Tech Shout
Google is dangling $30 million out there for the first privately funded team to “to send a robot to the moon, travel 500 meters and transmit video, images and data back to the
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