Google Seeks Solar Power

Posted 17 October 2006 @ 10:39 am EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Internet powerhouse Google said that it planned to install solar panels at its Silicon Valley campus to harness energy from the sun.

Google said the photovoltaic grids installed on a set of its buildings and parking structures would be the largest at any US corporate campus and among the biggest solar power networks at business headquarters in the world.

The solar grid at the "Googleplex" in Mountain View, California, would generate 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to meet the power demands of about 1,000 typical California homes, according to the company.

The electricity was expected to offset about 30 percent of the peak power needs of the buildings equipped with the panels.

"We believe that improving our environmental practices is not only our responsibility as a corporate citizen, but good business planning," Google said in a release.

"And of course by saving electricity (not to mention producing clean renewable energy), we also save money. In fact, we believe this project demonstrates that a large investment in renewable energy can be profitable."