Google today announced a series of power purchase agreements (PPAs) across Europe for more than 700 MW of clean energy, enabling the company to achieve more than 90% carbon-free energy in areas including the Netherlands, Italy and Poland, and close to 85% in Belgium in the next two years.
According to Google, the new agreement marks a significant step toward its goal of powering all of its operations with 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) by 2030. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, announced a 24/7 CFE ambition in 2020, with the aim of running its entire business on carbon-free energy by 2030, matching electricity demand with hourly CFE supply, every day, in all regions where the company operates.
In a post announcing the new clean energy agreements, Matt Brittin, president of Google Europe, Middle East and Africa, said:
“At Google, we know that climate change is a priority for many of our users, with search interest for “energy crisis” reaching an all-time high in 2023. That's why we're committed to developing sustainable solutions for the our users, companies, governments and our own operations.”
The announcement includes the purchase of 478 MW from two new offshore wind farms in the Netherlands: Crosswind – a joint venture between Shell and Dutch company Eneco – and Ecowend. These wind farms are expected to contribute around 6% of the country's annual electricity consumption.
Google also entered into a long-term PPA for a 47 MW onshore wind project in Italy, two new PPAs for 106 MW of solar generating capacity in Poland, and two new green energy agreements in Belgium that will support the installation of 11 new parks. onshore wind farms. to the grid for a total capacity of 84 MW.
Brittin added:
“These efforts are part of our commitment to accelerate the decarbonization of the world's electrical systems, a central focus of our ambitious goal of running our data centers and office campuses with carbon-free energy 24/7, in all networks where we operate until 2030.
“At a time when the world is increasingly reliant on digital services, cloud computing and AI technologies, it is more important than ever to provide access to technology in an efficient and sustainable way.”
