共用题干 Google's Solar Energy Gambit(策略)Google is making its largest investment yet in clean energy,setting up a $280 million fund to finance home solar rooftop(屋顶)installations.The search giant announced today it was teaming up with the Silicon Valley's Solar City一a company chaired by Paypal co-founder and Tesla Motors executive Elon Musk一in an effort to break down the biggest barrier to solar energy adoption:the cost."It's a great way to support installations going into more homes,"said Google spokesperson Parag Chokshi.The $280 million fund is the largest fund ever created for residential solar in the United States,according to Solar City,which has raised a total of$I.28 billion in financing capacity during its five-year history.Google over the past several years has invested in large,utility-scale wind and solar,enhanced geothermal(地热)energy,and other renewable energy projects,for a grand total of more than $680 million in the sector. But today's deal is not only Google's largest foray(突袭)into the sector, it is its first investment in distributed energy. Based in San Mateo,California,less than 20 miles north of Google's Mountain View headquarters,Solar City describes itseff as a solar power service provider. The idea is that people want affordable,clean energy一but they often can't afford to buy a photovoltaic system upfront. Solar City is one of a number of companies that have attempted to help people overcome that cost hurdle(障碍)by leasing,instead of owning their rooftop solar systems.Solar City's leases and power-purchase agreements to homeowners,businesses,and schools promise a lower monthly electricity bill(including a set payment to Solar City in addition to utility payments)than customers would get with their usual electricity from the grid.Solar City not only finances these photovoltaic projects,but also designs,installs,monitors,and maintains the systems. Recently,since buying the assets of a company called Business Solutions last year,Solar City has also begun offering energy audits and small home improvements(like installing programmable thermostats)that can make a big difference in energy use.Until now,Solar City has financed most of its 15,000 projects through banks,Chief Executive Lyndon Rive said in an interview. But the problem is only about a half dozen banks are doing solar financing,he said.So in order for Solar City's model to achieve"true scale,"it must"unleash the available capital of corporate America,"he said.Rive is hopeful that Google's move today will set an example for other corporations to make similar investments. Google is the biggest clean energy company in the world.
A.Right B.Wrong C.Not mentiond正确答案C
