More on GoogleGoogle is dipping its toes in the very buzz-friendly waters of "smart grid" technology. Google.org, the philanthropic wing of the Internet giant, has developed something called "PowerMeter," which (eventually) is meant to help individuals understand their own power use, with the goal of cutting it back. "Smart grid" technology also refers to appliances that communicate with the energy grid and use less power during peak hours, which also saves consumers money. Here's Google's quick description of PowerMeter: Google PowerMeter, now in prototype, will receive information from utility smart meters and energy management devices and provide anyone who signs up access to her home electricity consumption right on her iGoogle homepage. The IHT goes into a bit more detail on PowerMeter: Google is one of a number of companies devising ways to control the demand for electric power as an alternative to building more power plants.