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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Google Moves Into Wind Energy Terrain

05/04/2010
Google is going ga-ga over wind farm technology. A recent Google blog reports the company is putting its financial resources where its environmental conscience is with a $38.8 million investment.

The two North Dakota wind farm projects generate 169.5 megawatts of power  and were developed by NextEra Energy Resources.

"Through this $38.8 million investment, we're aiming to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy - in a way that makes good business sense, too," wrote Rick Needham, Green Business Operations Manager in the official Google blog.

The financial investment, says Good, is part of the three-pronged approach required for a clean energy future: effective policy, innovative technology and smart capital.

"Through our philanthropic arm Google.org, 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," states Needham.

Google says the project uses some of the latest wind turbine technology and control systems to provide one of the lowest-cost sources of renewable energy to the local grid.

And it's clearly not the final energy investment since unveiling its $4.4 trillion "Clean Energy 2030" plan in 2008 to help the U.S. lessen its dependence on fossil fuels.

Google's green energy projects have included large solar power installations, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle program, investments in eSolar and AltaRock (for geothermal systems), and energy-efficient data centers.

"We look forward to finding more opportunities to invest in renewable energy projects that use the latest technologies to push the envelope for delivering low cost clean energy. We'll let you know what we find," wrote Needham.

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