When companies like Google decide to finance cleantech enterprise at a level now over $400 million –  most recently their $55 million to Alta Wind Energy’s windpower project in Kern County Calif. – it is obviously a serious investment. There is an expectation of success and return. Which is to say that Google’s investment is a statement and an affirmation that windpower, done correctly, is the lowest cost, clean, utility-scale generation solution.

Indeed, when one makes comparisons on the basis of “lifecycle cost,” it is possible to regard windpower as being in line with coal. Google’s investment also mitigates against the perception that the technology can’t scale or can’t be applied widely. A popular example would be intermittency i.e., wind power often being more plentiful at night, while energy demand spikes during the day. Google’s investment demonstrates that intermittency is becoming far less significant with the widespread adoption of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and a smarter grid.