U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu came to Google on Monday to announce major federal funding for various green technology projects, including one from Stanford University.

The funding supports "high risk, high reward" projects across the United States intended to develop cleaner and more reliable energy, said Chu. "We can do it better than anyone else can because of this entrepreneurial spirit that we do so well in the U.S.," he said.

Google, he said, symbolizes how that entrepreneurial spirit can change the scientific and technological landscape.

The Internet giant is currently collaborating with Stanford on one of the projects receiving funding: Stanford is receiving almost $5 million to track and improve energy use patterns in buildings by studying human behavior. If successful, the project could significantly reduce energy use by changing human behavior through timely information and controls.

Academic institutions and private corporations have a long history of sharing technologies, said Chu, adding that he expects research development to move into the private sector "as soon as possible."

Some project proposals came from research universities like Stanford, while others came from small start-ups or large corporations.

The funding is available through the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency, created to develop new approaches to dealing with climate change. Through the agency, a total of $151 million is being divvied up among 37 projects around the country because, Chu said, "Great ideas can change the world."

After his announcement, Chu sat down with Google CEO Eric Schmidt to discuss the future of energy technology. Chu, who testified before Congress on Tuesday about cap-and-trade legislation, told Schmidt that the country needs a "second Industrial Revolution" to make energy as clean and efficient as possible.

Chu further complemented Google's leadership in promoting green technology: "The more and more large companies get on board, the smaller companies will get on board too."

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