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Google invests $39 million in two US wind farms

Internet giant Google has made its first investment of $38.8 million in two wind farms in North Dakota with a total capacity of 169.5 MW.

The utility-scale installation, which generates sufficient power for over 55,000 homes, has been developed by NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of FPL Group and the largest generator of wind and solar power in North America.

The Ashtabula wind farms’ 113 turbines employ cutting-edge control systems that allow continuously adjustable blade pitch angles to optimise efficiency, while the larger blade size brings a 15% increase in the swept area.

The investment marks a new stage in Google’s push towards clean energy, says green business operations manager Rick Needham in his blog.

“We’ve been pushing for energy policies that strengthen the innovation pipeline, and we’ve been dedicating resources to developing new technologies, including making investments in early-stage renewable energy companies such as eSolar and AltaRock,” he says.

But the company has also been looking for investment opportunities in utility-scale projects to accelerate deployment.

“To tackle this need, we’ve been looking at investments in renewable energy projects, like the one we just signed, [that provide] attractive returns to Google and more capital for developers,” he says.

Needham says that the company is now looking for other investment opportunities in renewable energy projects.

Despite Google’s high profile support for clean energy, the company came in for some criticism from environmental organisation Greenpeace in its recent Cool IT Leaderboard for not disclosing its emissions or having stated reduction targets.

For further information:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/not-merely-tilting-at-windmills.html
www.nexteraenergyresources.com/
www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/cool-it/

05 May 2010

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