Google has announced a deal that will use clean wind energy to power their various data centers. MidAmerican Energy, based out of Iowa and owned in part by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, will provide 407 megawatts of wind power to Google.
In a recent Greenpeace report, Google scored pretty low on their metric for gauging companies using clean energy. Apple had a similar distinction in 2011, but has quickly climbed to the top of Greenpeace’s list with various wind and solar initiatives. Google looks to do the same here, as 407 megawatts of clean wind energy is adequate to charge all their data centers in Iowa.
The deal also leaves room for expansion, and is Google’s largest agreement to date. Google says the deal brings them to over one gigawatt of renewable energy they’ve sourced with various deals, be it power purchase agreements or local utility partners.
Google scored a 39.4% on Greenpeace’s clean energy index back in 2012, and have been making incremental improvements since. They’ve since managed a score of 48% with Apple having the more impressive turnaround, going from 15.3% to 100% compliance in the same timeframe. The two companies leave contemporaries like Twitter and Amazon in their wake. Amazon scored a failing grade in the study, and has roundly refuted Greenpeace’s findings.
Source: Google
