Google announced this week that it is installing 1.6 million solar panels in Alabama and Tennessee for two of its new data center campuses.
Hollywood, Alabama and Yum Yum, Tennessee will soon be home to the largest solar farms in their respective states, with each able to produce 150 megawatts of electricity. The solar power generated by these new farms will power Google’s data centers in Tennessee and Alabama with 100% renewable energy.
Google is partnering with NextEra Energy Resources and Invenergy on the solar farm implementation and operation.
According to Amanda Corio, senior lead, Energy & Infrastructure at Google, to date, Google's more than 30 long-term contract commitments to purchase renewable energy have resulted in nearly $5 billion in investment worldwide.
Google has been ramping up its commitment to powering its data centers with renewable energy. In November 2018, the company announced its plans to set up a data center in Denmark, the company’s fifth data center in Europe.
The search giant will invest close to $700 million for the development of this new data center, which will use renewable energy. Google intends to leverage abundant green energy and renewable energy production in Denmark in order to keep its energy consumption free of carbon. Denmark is home to a large wind energy sector including turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems and offshore wind farm developer Orsted.
And in September 2018, Google announced it had signed a 10-year renewable energy deal to obtain power from three new wind farms being built in Finland. The wind energy will be used to power one of its data centers. Google said that the Finnish deal is the first where it is buying power from European projects that will not receive any government subsidies.
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