The web services leader crosses the finish line ahead of most of its peers.
by Julian Spector for GreenTech Media
A lot of leading companies have committed to getting all of their energy from renewable sources. Google has dispensed with its aspirational phase and will actually achieve this milestone in 2017, the company revealed Tuesday.
“Over the calendar year globally, for every unit of energy we consume, we’re purchasing the equivalent amount or more of renewable energy” in 2017, said Neha Palmer, head of energy strategy at Google’s global infrastructure division.
The search engine and web services provider has long been a leader in corporate renewables, using its clout and purchasing power to open up new avenues for procuring clean energy. The future of federal renewables policy remains hazy since the election of Donald Trump, meaning corporate leadership could play an even greater role in the adoption of wind and solar power in the next few years.
The announcement means that all of Google’s data centers, offices and operations will be powered by clean energy. Not all of that clean electricity is available in the vicinity of the facilities, so in those cases, the company buys the equivalent power and retires the associated renewable energy credits.
It’s hard to say this milestone has been reached ahead of schedule, because the goal was not pegged to a specific date. With that said, Google’s announcement comes ahead of most of the 83 companies in the RE 100 group that have announced a 100 percent renewable goal.
