Google Signs 435 MW Solar PPA to Power U.S. Operations

Sustainable energy firm energyRe announced that it has signed a 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Google, supplying the tech giant with 435 MW of renewable energy for its operations in the central U.S. from a new solar project.

The project will be developed, owned, and operated by energyRe, and the firm will supply the generated electricity and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to Google.

According to the companies, the new agreement will support Google’s target to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) by 2030. Operating on 24/7 CFE means matching electricity demand with CFE supply every hour of every day, in every region where the company operates. Google has been ramping up its clean energy purchases, as it looks to address the growing electricity consumption from its data centers. The company recently announced that it signed contracts to purchase approximately 4 GW of clean energy generation capacity in 2023, more than in any prior year.

energyRe CEO Miguel Prado said:

“energyRe is proud to deliver reliable clean power to support Google’s ambitious sustainability and decarbonization goals. Google is a global leader in renewable energy and continues to set a high bar across the technology industry. energyRe’s track record of delivering clean energy solutions for our customers makes us a trusted partner for companies working to reduce their carbon footprints.”

The deal was facilitated through LEAP (LevelTen Energy’s Accelerated Process), which was co-developed by Google and LevelTen Energy to make clean energy buying and selling more efficient.

Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s Global Head of Data Center Energy, said:

“As we continue to progress towards our goal to operate every Google campus on clean electricity every hour of every day by 2030, we are always looking for opportunities to accelerate the delivery of new clean power to the grid. Using our scalable procurement approach, we’ve been able to collaborate quickly with energyRe to deliver new clean energy to the SPP grid system and support our 24/7 progress in the region.”

Source: esgtoday.com