Saturday 19 October 2013

Google's still a big fan of renewable energy

Whether it's an investment play or a project plan, Google continues to support renewable energy worldwide. 

Search giant Google has plunked down another hundred-million-dollar investment into a renewable energy project, continuing to push its leadership as both a backer and a user of renewable energy.

Google is frequently recognized for its interest and support for renewable energy. Last year it purchased over 727,000 MWh of renewable energy via long-term contracts, covering 22% of its total electricity consumption. The company has called for North Carolina to establish a renewable energy tariff for large business, and put together a white paper on how to purchase clean energy. It's even specially designed its data centers to use far less energy.
Its latest venture is a $103 million pledge to Silver Ridge Power's 265-MW (DC) Mount Signal Solar project, AKA Imperial Valley Solar 1, under construction in California expected to be online next year with a PPA to sell power to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). The plant represents half of Silver Ridge's portfolio. is contingent on is expected to be fully operational in 2014 and will sell its output to the San Diego Gas & Electric Company under a long-term power purchase agreement.
Google now has committed more than a billion dollars in 13 renewable energy projects totaling more than 2 GW of electricity, from solar in Germany and South Africa to wind farms across in the U.S., plus hundreds of millions of dollars to back corporate ventures from SolarCity and Clean Power Finance to a startup developing kites with wind turbines. This summer the company committed to power its Hamina data center in Finland with wind energy, via a Swedish wind farm in development to be connected to the Nord Pool grid system in 2015.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/10/googles-still-a-big-fan-of-renewable-energy

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