Energy Internet: A Peak at the Future

Hot,Flat and Crowded author Thomas Friedman, writing Wednesday in his New York Times column provides a preview of what part of the Energy Internet will look like in the not too distant future.

Friedman writes of new business called Better Place, which is setting up vehicle electricity charging stations in Australia, Denmark, and Israel as well as Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay.

The Better Place electric car charging system involves generating electrons from as much renewable energy—such as wind and solar—as possible and then feeding those clean electrons into a national electric car charging infrastructure. This consists of electricity charging spots with plug-in outlets — the first pilots were opened in Israel this week — plus battery-exchange stations all over the respective country. The whole system is then coordinated by a service control center that integrates and does the billing.

Think of the IT jobs needed to help create and maintain this system.

Friedman analogizes the future of the auto industry with what Apple CEO Steve Jobs did in the music business, replacing a 20th century industrial platform for one designed for the 21st century.

What did Apple understand first? One, that today’s technology platform would allow anyone with a computer to record music. Two, that the Internet and MP3 players would allow anyone to transfer music in digital form to anyone else. You wouldn’t need CDs or record companies anymore. Apple simply took all those innovations and integrated them into a single music-generating, purchasing and listening system that completely disrupted the music business.

Friedman sees Better Place founder Shai Agassi doing the same in the automotive industry.

What Agassi ... is saying is that there is a new way to generate mobility, not just music, using the same platform. It just takes the right kind of auto battery—the iPod in this story—and the right kind of national plug-in network—the iTunes store—to make the business model work for electric cars at six cents a mile. The average American is paying today around 12 cents a mile for gasoline transportation, which also adds to global warming and strengthens petro-dictators.