SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc. said Monday that it recently invested $100 million in an Oregon
facility expected to become “the largest wind farm in the world,” as
the Internet giant continues to pour money into alternative energy
initiatives.
Google, which consumes a considerable amount of energy to power its undisclosed number of data centers, said its investment in the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm near Arlington, Ore., brings the company’s total investment in clean energy to more than $350 million.
General Electric Co. announced in 2009 that it had won a $1.4 billion
contract to build wind turbines for the Shepherds Flat facility. GE
said it would be supplying 338 turbines, to be installed through 2012.
When the project is completed next year, Google
said, it will produce 845 megawatts of energy, or enough to power
235,000 homes. The electricity produced at the wind farm will be sold
to the utility Southern California Edison, Google said.
“We remain on the lookout for more projects that
make business sense and will help all of us take advantage of clean,
renewable energy,” Google Director of Green Business Operations Rick Needham said in a post on a company website.
Google said it is investing in Shepherds Flat alongside Sumitomo Corp. and Itochu Corp. subsidiary Tyr Energy.
Google has invested recently in other alternative energy projects, including a $5 million contribution to a solar photovoltaic power plant near Berlin, Germany, and a $168 million financing for a solar energy power plant in California’s Mojave Desert.
Google, like
other Internet firms, relies on power-hungry data centers stocked with
server computers to keep its services up and running for a growing
number of users.
In addition to dabbling in a number of energy initiatives, the company has also successfully applied to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to buy and sell power in bulk.
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has long touted the use of alternative energy sources, both for the greater good and for the immediate needs of his company.
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