Google Invests in Two Wind Farms

[TomCADem]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Google Inc. has invested $38.8 million in two North Dakota wind farms, the Internet giant's first direct investment in utility-scale renewable energy generation.

The Mountain View, Calif., company said in a Monday blog post that it invested in wind farms built by NextEra Energy Resources, a unit of FPL Group Inc. The wind turbines, made by General Electric Co., generate 169.5 megawatts of power, enough to serve more than 55,000 homes.

The investment marks a departure from Google's initial approach to renewable energy, which focused on investing in early-stage renewable energy companies such as BrightSource Energy, eSolar and AltaRock, which are developing new solar, wind and geothermal power technologies.

Google said it is investing directly in energy projects to accelerate the deployment of the latest clean energy technology, while providing attractive returns to Google and more capital for developers to build additional projects.


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704342604575222420304732394.html?mod=WSJ_business_LeadStoryCollection

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I wonder whether all this news of new alternative energy is a sign of a permanent trend or will the next Republican President simply discontinue everything to ensure our dependence on fossil fuels.

[Duer 157099]

1. We must make sure there isn't a "next" Republican. Period.

Otherwise that's exactly what happens.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Given how things went when Ronnie Ray-gun followed Carter, I wouldn't feel too hopeful.

[FarCenter]

3. I wonder whether Google is putting data centers in ND

A large data center could use this much electricity. ND would also be good, since ambient cooling could be used during much of the year. Google runs data centers at 80 degrees in the cold aisle.