Transphorm: Google's Investment Shows The Direction Their Bets Are Aimed

Google is making more strides in the realm of alternative energy and energy efficiency with their most recent investment into Transphorm, a company that deals in cutting edge power-converting modules.

There are plenty of bold mission statements floating around there today, but Transphorm's claim that their technology could be compared to "taking the entire West Coast off the grid" strikes me as one of the strongest claims to date.

Here is the nerdy breakdown of what this technology that I assume only 3% of you will understand/care about:

Currently, conversion modules are based on silicon, which struggles to efficiently convert power at high voltages. An estimated ten percent of energy currently generated in the U.S. is lost as electricity is converted back and forth from alternating to direct current. Mishra claims that gallium nitride can do the same conversion without wasting power.

This reduction in power-loss during transmission means that there will be less burden placed on utilities, meaning that there would be a reduction in GHGs across the board. Coupling this with the continued pursuit of more efficient products being introduced to consumers and the increased development of cleaner energy sources, it becomes easier to see big reductions in emissions in the future.

Either way, Google has been doing a good job steering America towards more sustainable solutions with their investment in the Bloom Box, the Wind Power backbone, and now Transphorm.

You can bet that I'll be paying attention to what they do next.

Visual Rationality: The Grid Is Inefficient

Now that the dust has settled after my post-graduation, endzone celebration of being done with school, it is back to business...

...By business I mean giving unrequited opinions on all things concerning the environment and energy related issues.

I recently opened up a Tumblr account for two reasons:

1. I had heard that Tumblr recently raised at least $30 million on a valuation of $135 million and was curious.
2. Wanted an area where I could post high quality pictures without the bloated features of Picasa or Flicrkr.

Needless to say, I now understand why Tumblr is getting so much attention from venture capitalists.  It is easy to set up, even easier to cruise through, and it is just fun.

After a while, I came across the following picture that accurately represents exactly how outdated some parts of America's electrical distribution system is.

Really?

This looks like a web that a drunk spider would weave.  I know it is not an easy task to redesign the power grid, but in a world where people call wind turbines ugly, I believe it wouldn't be hard to sell a more efficient power grid under the guise of aesthetic values.

A better grid wouldn't look like someone sneezed spagetti onto the skyline which would probably increase property value in some areas, and it would allow for more efficient transfer of cleaner energy.

Just something to think about.