Google Inc. today set out its strategy to help build a cleaner energy future. This plan will enable the company to go carbon neutral by 2008 and help support environmental innovation that could ultimately benefit everyone.
Key components of the strategy include:
* Maximising the efficiency of Google’s data centres, which account for most of the energy it consumes. These use less than half the energy of standard industry data centres – cutting the company’s power consumption by a factor of more than two;
* Increasing Google’s use of renewable energy. The company has finished Phase 1 of a 1.6 megawatt (MW) solar panel at its headquarters in Mountain View. Google is committed to creating an additional 50 MWs of renewable energy generating capacity by 2012 – enough to power 50,000 homes. The company will also apply a shadow price for carbon when buying power for its data centres to encourage the use of cleaner energy;
* Offsetting emissions that cannot be eliminated directly. Google recognises that offsets are an imperfect solution but believes they help finance environmental improvements that would not otherwise happen. In addition Google would rather invest in projects which reduce global carbon emissions now, rather than waiting until the company can eliminate its own entirely in the future;
* Leveraging its assets to make an impact beyond the business. Google:
o Invests in innovative projects like plug-in hybrid cars (plug-ins) in order to make cleaner technologies commercially viable more quickly;
o Co-founded Climate Savers Computing, an industry initiative to increase computer efficiency and cut carbon emissions by 54 million tons a year by 2010;
o Enables users to inform and engage the world on energy and climate change matters by using products like Google Earth and Google Transit;
o Supports changes to public policy – including the setting of energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards, price signals for greenhouse gas emissions, and increased public spending on energy efficiency and renewable R&D.
For the full details please go to http://www.google.com/corporate/green/energy/.
Eric Schmidt, Chairman and Chief Executive of Google said:
“Innovation goes to the heart of what Google does. By investing in new technologies and by working in partnership with others we can make a meaningful contribution to the environment. This is just a start. We are actively looking for more opportunities to help tackle climate change.”
Urs Hoelzle, Senior Vice President, Operations and Google Fellow said:
“Overall the Internet is a relatively clean technology: sending an email or downloading an album has less impact than posting a letter or buying a CD. And by maximising our energy efficiency, creating an additional 50 MWs of renewable energy generating capacity and investing in innovative green technology Google will help build a cleaner energy future.”
Dr. Steve Howard, Chief Executive of The Climate Group, said:
“The ominous threats posed by global warming demand bold, imaginative and far-reaching action by every sector of the economy. Google’s commitment to invest in environmental innovation, combined with their ‘worldwide’ reach, will significantly help promote and accelerate international action on climate change.”
Carter Roberts, President of the World Wildlife Fund in the US said:
“Google, not surprisingly, innovates to address an issue that affects almost every person, place and animal on the planet. In the last quarter, the company put in place the single largest solar installation of any US corporation, committed to buying 50 MW of renewable energy and worked with WWF, Intel and other industry leaders to develop and launch the Climate Savers Computing Initiative to move carbon reductions broadly through its sector.”
About Google Inc
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.google.com.
About The Climate Group
The Climate Group is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the international uptake of corporate and government best practice in emissions reduction. We have offices and charitable status in the UK, USA and Australia and are expanding into India and China in 2007. Proactive companies, states, regions and cities around the world are demonstrating that the cuts in greenhouse gases required to stop climate change can be achieved while growing the bottom line. Using the work of these leaders as a catalyst, The Climate Group strives to accelerate international action on global warming with a new, strong focus on practical solutions. Since launching in 2004, we have developed an interlocking program of sectoral leadership groups, research and publication, media engagement, and high-impact events. Our coalition has demonstrated that emissions reductions, while essential, can also be profitable. We inspire further action and outreach and mobilize business and sub-national governments to implement and support effective strategies and policies that mitigate climate change. We also promote the development and sharing of expertise on how business and government can lead the way towards a low carbon economy while boosting profitability and competitiveness. For more information about The Climate Group, please visit http://www.theclimategroup.org.
About WWF
Known in the United States as World Wildlife Fund and recognized worldwide by its panda logo, WWF leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats and to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. Now in its fifth decade, WWF, the global conservation organization, works in more than 100 countries around the world. For more information please visit http://www.worldwildlife.org
For more information contact [email protected]
