Google doubles down on renewables investment

Internet search giant Google has nearly doubled its investment in renewable energy generation, announcing on Thursday 842MW worth of projects in what it claims to be the largest-ever renewable energy purchase by a non-utility.

The six different wind and solar projects – including a Swedish wind farm and a solar plant in Chile – will help power Google’s expansive data centers around the world. The projects are scheduled to be finished in the next two years.

The financial details of the deals, some of which were signed several weeks ago, have not been revealed. But it is believed Google timed its announcement to coincide with the Paris climate conference.

“It’s an opportune time to make a strong statement,” said Gary Demasi, Google’s director of data center energy.

Certainly, Google is setting an fine example for the world leaders gathered in Paris. This latest deal has increased its overall renewable energy capacity to 2GW – enough to supply 2 million European homes annually – putting it on track to meet its company target of 3.6GW by 2025.

The Mountain View, California, company has pledged to have all of its 14 data centers worldwide running on renewable energy, by its latest estimates, renewables supply 37 percent of the power needed to run its data centers.

“For our part, these contracts not only help minimize the environmental impact of our services—they also make good business sense by ensuring good prices,” Google said in its announcement.

Besides signing long-term contracts with renewable energy providers, Google also has invested about $2.5 billion in companies and projects trying to produce more wind, solar and geothermal power.