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If they were working on data center efficiency, that would be one thing. The RE<C program was an attempt to make solar power more efficient. This involves basic physics, material science, and manufacturing. Nothing that Google had done to that point would qualify them to work in that area.

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Nothing Google had done in 1999 would qualify them to dominate internet search or scalability either. This is a fallacy. Asserting that the only people who can productively solve a problem are those who have dedicated their careers to it is just plain wrong. It flies in the face of almost every success story, ever.

That said, clearly they didn't solve this problem. If they were making serious progress, they wouldn't have killed it.

Read about their approach. All the things they attempted seem much more in line with their competencies. http://www.google.org/rec.html

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