Google said it has signed 18 new energy deals that together will amount to a package of 1,600 megawatt (MW). The company has also awarded two grants, each of USD 500,000, to support organisations looking to expand access to clean energy for all businesses. The announcements come ahead of the Global Climate Strike on 20-27 September and as data centre operators all over the world try to meet demand for data and energy.
USD 2 worth of new energy infrastructure
The 18 deals will lead to the construction of over USD 2 billion worth of new energy infrastructure, including millions of solar panels and hundreds of wind turbines spread across three continents. All of the deals are long-term commitments and will result in the development of new projects. They include investments in the US, Chile and Europe and will bring Google’s total renewable energy fleet to 52 projects, driving more than USD 7 billion in new construction.
In the US, Google will be buying energy from 720 MW of solar farms in North Carolina (155 MW), South Carolina (75 MW), and Texas (490 MW), more than doubling the capacity of its global solar portfolio to date. In South America, the company will be adding 125 MW of renewable energy capacity to the grid that supplies its data centre in Chile. There will also be new project in Europe, with further announcements set to come from Finland, the company said.
Google said the agreements will increase its worldwide portfolio of wind and solar agreements by more than 40 percent to 5,500 MW. The company noted that when all these projects come online, its carbon-free energy portfolio will produce more electricity than what Washington DC or entire countries like Lithuania or Uruguay use in a year.
Grants go to US, European organisations
The USD 500,000 grants will go to the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) in the US and to RE-Source in Europe. They will help fund the development of new purchasing models, provide training and resources for people, and enable more widespread access to clean power.
