Google Launches Eight-Year Clean Energy Pact Across Arizona
With the digital landscape continuing on its ever-evolving journey, demand on digital services and the energy supply to power it continues to grow. This could not be more true for Google.
In a bid to responsibly increase its infrastructure to meet the even more increasing demand for Google products and services, the multinational Big Five brand has made sustainability a cornerstone of its expanding mission. As part of this commitment, Google has announced an energy supply agreement that will bring more than 430MW of new-to-the-grid, carbon-free energy capacity in the state of Arizona.
Google brings carbon-free energy to Arizona
In collaboration with the Salt River Project (SRP), Arizona’s utility provider, Google’s energy supply agreement will not only provide a new stream of power to the area, but is projected to facilitate Google’s Arizona reach at least 80% carbon-free energy (CFE) on an hourly basis in the next two years — a testament to Google’s dedication to operational excellence, but not at the expense of the environment.
This comes after construction commenced on Google’s first Arizona data centre in Mesa, in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. The facility is set to utilise air-cooled technology in line with the company’s climate-conscious approach to minimise net environmental impact across water and energy resources.
As part of the agreement with SRP, a mix of dedicated wind power, solar energy and battery storage from three facilities operated by NextEra Energy Resources on SRP’s power grid will become available.
"With this new agreement, we are not just offsetting our energy use, but also actively working to add carbon-free energy capacity directly to Arizona's grid when and where it's needed,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy at Google. “The collaboration with SRP and NextEra Energy Resources is accelerating decarbonisation in Arizona and our own carbon-free journey in the region. Plus, helping advance the transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy sources is necessary as we work together to address the climate crisis and ensure stable, affordable access to clean energy.”
Google’s renewable energy commitments
Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 and has the lofty aim of reaching net-zero emissions across all of its operations and value chain by 2030. Google is, before this date, also working to reduce 50% of its combined Scope 1, 2 and 3 absolute emissions compared to its 2019 baseline. On top of this, it has committed to investing in nature-based and technology-based carbon removal solutions to neutralise remaining emissions from its operations.
Google’s work towards net-zero operations is bolstered by another equally ambitious goal, for all its offices and data centres to operate 24/7 on clean energy, like solar and wind.
Now in its third consecutive decade of taking climate action, Google continues to blaze ahead with its environmental efforts, led by science-based guidance and knowledge-sharing along the way.
It continues to do so through three main pillars that make up its approach to its net-zero goal: reducing emissions across its operations and value chain, advancing carbon-free energy and addressing its residual emissions with carbon removals.
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