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Google is on the way toward 100% renewable energy for its global operation. The world’s internet industry leader signed a deal with EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) to purchase the full power output of the 201MW Great Western Wind Project located in Woodward and Ellis, Oklahoma for its data centers.
The Great Western wind project will utilize 30 V117 (3.3MW) and 51 V100 (2.2MW) wind turbines supplied by Vestas. The power generation will be equivalent to offsetting more than 600,000 metric tons of CO2 emission per year or to taking 125,000 passenger vehicles from the road.
“The participation of Google to directly procure wind power demonstrates their understanding of both the environmental benefits of renewable energy as well as the business opportunity,”stated Tristan Grimbert, CEO and President of EDF Renewable Energy. “We applaud their leadership in action around the climate change conversation and providing the financial certainty through the Power Purchase Agreement to remove a key barrier to building a wind project.”
Google committed tripling the purchase of renewable energy by 2025 and powering 100% of its operations by clean energy. The company has already secured long-term contracts to buy clean energy from nearly 2GW of generating assets worldwide, and become the largest green energy buyer among other companies that have the same commitment.
Google joins EDF’s growing North America portfolio of corporate purchasers including Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Groupo Modelo, and Walmart. In 2012, Google made an approximately $200 million equity investment in EDF RE’s Spinning Spur Wind Project, a 161 MW facility located in Oldham County, Texas demonstrating. The latest PPA ink further increase Google’s renewable energy purchase volume to 2GW.