Google's growing interest in the energy sector was underlined this week when it emerged that a new subsidiary of the company has lodged a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that it be allowed to buy and sell electricity on the wholesale market.
The search giant created a Delaware-based company called Google Energy back on December 16 last year, and the Federal Register revealed earlier this week that the firm had been named in a formal request to FERC, the federal agency that oversees the US grid.
The move has prompted speculation that Google could one day move into the energy utility market, providing low carbon electricity to its customers.
Niki Fenwick, a spokeswoman for Google, sought to downplay speculation over the company's plans, telling technology website CNet that the company simply wanted greater flexibility as it pursues its goal of ultimately running its operations using only renewable energy.
"Right now, we can't buy affordable, utility-scale, renewable energy in our markets," she said, adding that having the freedom to buy and sell energy on the wholesale market would make it easier for the firm to "buy the highest-quality, most affordable renewable energy wherever we can, and use the green credits [that come with it]".
She added: "We don't have any concrete plans. We want the ability to buy and sell electricity in case it becomes part of our portfolio."
However, Google has been showing growing interest in the energy sector in recent years and the move has fuelled speculation that establishing the firm as a green utility could be part of its long-term plans.
The firm has become a major investor in renewable energy firms through both its Google.org philanthropic arm and its Google Ventures investment division, and has a project in place to try to develop renewable energy at a lower cost than coal. Most notably, the company has pumped cash into smart grid specialist Silver Spring Networks, as well as solar energy firms Brightsource Energy and eSolar, and geothermal technology developer AltaRock Energy.
The company also operates one of the largest onsite solar arrays in the US, and there have been reports that it is considering investing directly in large-scale renewable energy projects to help provide energy for its giant datacentres.
In addition, last year saw the firms' first foray into the domestic energy market with the launch of its PowerMeter real-time energy-reporting technology.
It remains feasible that Google is simply looking for a way to purchase cheaper renewable energy, but the company has made a name for moving quickly to carve out a position in new and unexpected markets, while experts were keen to point out that it remains highly unusual for non-utility firms to submit to the regulatory burden that comes with trading wholesale power.
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