Google Go’s Green with Wind Turbine Investment
by Jack Lundee

Emission reduction, green spaces, and renewable energy are some of the most talked about topics of the 21st century. With the recent passing of Earth Day, and the undying rally for improved green efforts worldwide, some industry giants are making a large footprint.

Oddly enough, it isn’t the work of highly regarded green organizations (i.e. – Greenpeace and Global Green USA) that’s capturing everybody’s attention, but surprisingly enough extremely large technology companies, like Google for instance. Recently, Google stated that it had invested $38.8 million in two North Dakota wind farms impressive Take a look. – “On Friday we made our first direct investment in a utility-scale renewable energy project — two wind farms that generate 169.5 megawatts of power, enough to power more than 55,000 homes.” Rick Needeham, (Google’s Green Business Operations Manager), wrote within that Google is greatly interested in discovering new opportunities to invest in renewable energy projects that really ”push the envelope.”

It wasn’t enough for Google to be the world’s biggest search and advertising company; it’s evident that they truly do want to power the globe. Although, this isn’t the first time that Google has made a large investment in green energy. Back in 2007, Google dove into clean-tech fray, clearly stating that it would spend “hundreds of millions of dollars” to create alternative energy sources that are cheaper than coal, which as we know it is the world’s dominant fuel source and pollutant. They included that their effort RECTC (Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal), would consist of wind power technologies, solar power, and more.

It’s sometimes tough to make the connection between search and alternative energy, but with Google at the forefront of campaigns like this, it certainly makes me feel a bit more comfortable. With enough energy to power nearly 55,000 homes, Google is making a tremendous impact on sustainability for our planet. Non-profits and other similar collaborative units have been doing their part in supporting green initiatives since the beginning of the movement. For instance, Niranjan Shah and Globetrotters Engineering Corporation work closely with the USGBC (US Green Building Council) to improve building standards and provide LEED based architecture. Although, it’s the unpredictable, long tail efforts of cash cows like Google that are helping substantially. Much like the individual, businesses must play their roles in promoting sustainability.

Google entered into green technology development in startup companies and its own consumer energy tracking tools, although, they hadn’t quite moved into actual working energy fabrication. This could infer future investments by Google, perhaps leading to the acquisition of their own wind powered turbine that would facilitate their own business needs.

Jack Lundee – Follower of all things green and progressive

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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The Milford Wind Corridor, a First Wind Milford project, is a 203.5 megawatt wind farm with a total investment of $86 million.  The project paved the way for hundreds of job opportunities as well as energy security to Milford region.  The First Wind farm is built with 97 First Wind turbines, and is primarily in charge of producing electricity for the Southern California Public Power Authority under a 20-year purchasing power agreement.  The Milford wind farm has a capacity to power 45,000 homes annually and was able to generat 250 employment opportunities for residents in the area.

The project is just one among many renewable energy possibilities for Utah.  Aside from the First Wind Milford project, the wind farm in Spanish Fork had jumpstarted the wind energy sector in Utah in 2008. Non-profit organization Utah Clean Energy assessed the effect of lessening energy use by 20 percent and sourcing the 20 percent remaining electricity requirement from renewable energy sources by year 2020. 

According to the group, Utah can get as much as $310 million per year and generate 7,000 green collar jobs if the western state maximizes use of its renewable energy capacity, most especially its wind power.

In their report called Building the Clean Energy Economy, the group stated that Utah’s renewable energy sources included in the 20 percent clean energy scenario represents 475 megawatts for wind energy production.

The same scenario proposed a 241 megawatt resource for geothermal production, 150 megawatts for concentrating solar power with storage, 84 megawatts for residential and commercial solar photovoltaic distributed electricity and 23 megawatts for the biomass sector.

An initial report stated that Utah did not have considerable capacities in terms of solar, wind and biomass energy, and that its renewable energy is based largely on hydropower alone.

Despite this, a study of Utah’s energy landscape shoed that there are 91 wind states in Utah.  The Utah Renewable Energy Zone task force had found 51 wind areas which can potentially generate over 9,145 megawatts. 

The task force said that 12 of the wind sites have a potential installed capacity of 1,830 megawatts.  Wind resource is reported to be the greatest at a region near Milford, in a valley at the east of Beaver County.

The areas which together can generate a combined potential capacity of 2,500 megawatts include Black Mountains, Black Rock, Chipman Peak, Milford North, Milford South, Mineral Mountains, Sevier Desert, and Wah Wah Valley.

Through effective energy efficiency projects and compliant renewable energy policies, Utah can easily lower fuel prices, become energy independent, and become greener all a t the same time.

About the Author:
Sunshine Chen is a seasoned writer, having travelled around the world, largely putting all her experiences and the sights and sounds she has come across to paper.  She now writes extensively about topics related to green news, mostly on renewable energy, but also on a variety of related topics as well.  When not travelling around the world, she is based in Central Hong Kong, taking in the myriad colours, flavours, and scents of the melting pot that Hong Kong is known for.

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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