Energy technology is also bringing its transformative power to other parts of the world, principally by decoupling energy from its traditional sources. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar exist across the globe. The incredible diaspora of shale gas and oil resources, and the reserves unlocked by deepwater exploration, expand the energy map even further. This “localization” of energy could be a major force in—for instance—lifting Africa out of poverty by helping bring reliable energy supplies to remote areas. It will help enable the continued boom in urbanization, since energy consumption and high energy costs are one of the brakes on economic development. And by being locally embedded, energy technologies will help keep communities globally connected—rather than dependent.

Since the notion of the “Great Game” was coined in the 19 th century, it has referred to the often-violent scramble among nations for control of territories harboring energy reserves. This old-style game is still very relevant. This is evident in the growing geopolitical tensions over access to the Arctic’s mammoth energy reserves, in China’s pursuit of control over fossil fuel deposits in Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America, and in the strong entry of India into the global resources game.

But today it has become equally, if not more, important to control the technology assets—the hardware and the software. Thus, the game has changed.

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Energy Inc. and the Power of One
The new technologies have not only empowered dozens of countries, but they also have made corporations and individuals participants in the energy game.

Google is perhaps the highest-profile example of this: Its data centers continuously drew almost 260 million watts— about a quarter of the output of an average nuclear power plant—to run Google searches, YouTube views, Gmail messaging, and display ads. Yet, it has pioneered technologies that allow its data centers to use only 50% of the energy that most other data centers consume. To help meet its energy needs, meanwhile, Google has built a $915 million portfolio of clean energy investments on a simple investment philosophy.

That is, the future will be powered by multiple clean energy technologies, and the key is to find the ones that will ignite a revolution and scale to meet the world’s energy needs. Already, Google has a zero carbon footprint—and its goal is to go negative.

Meanwhile, smart meters, the internet, and advanced software are allowing individuals to fine-tune their energy consumption. This underscores the ‘Power of One’—the ability of every person to proactively manage their energy consumption and their carbon footprint. This generational change is a function of heightened awareness of the impact of energy consumption on household expenses, on foreign policy, and on the environment. The consumption of energy is no longer just an economic act—this is becoming a conscious act and an act of conscience. This will likely intensify in the coming years. >>>

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