14 DAY TRIAL // Only yesterday, Google made it public news that it was to spend as many as $75 million (€58.8 million) on a new wind farm in Rippey, fairly close to Des Moines, in the US state of Iowa.
Google says that, following their agreeing to invest in this green-oriented project, the total amount of money the company has thus far spent on cutting down on its ecological footprint will hit a record $1 billion (€0.78 billion).
“Today we‘re announcing that we’ve made an equity investment of $75 million in a 50MW wind farm in Rippey, a small town in Greene County, about an hour outside of Des Moines,” the company's official website reads.
Furthermore, “This project brings our committed investment to the renewable energy sector to more than $990 million (€776.2 million).”
Google explains that this wind farm in Iowa will generate sufficient electricity so as to successfully meet the demands of as many as 15,000 homes found in its proximity.
Despite Google's having a data center in Iowa, it seems that all of the green electricity produced at this facility will be meant for local consumers.
“We’re investing directly into a wind project, which has been contracted to sell all of the energy to the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, an Iowa-based utility that will deliver the energy to local consumers.”
“We’re happy to help make more renewable energy available to Iowans and to support the growing wind energy industry in the state,” the company says.
According to Mashable, most of Google's investments in harvesting renewable energy sources have focused on solar and wind power.
For example, the company spent $94 million (€73.7 million) on four PV projects in California, $157 million (€123.1 million) on two wind projects in the Mojave Desert.
“At Google, a clean energy future means investing in innovative, large-scale clean energy projects we believe can become major power sources for the future,” says one of the company's statements on sustainability.