Google has signed a series of power purchase agreements (PPAs) in Europe to procure more than 700MW of clean energy generated from solar farms and wind farms across the continent.
The US tech company said that the PPAs with British oil and gas company Shell and Dutch utility Eneco represent its largest offshore wind power investment to date.
Both Shell and Eneco own subsidy-free wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands.
Through the PPAs, Google will have more than 90% carbon-free energy in the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland and nearly 85% in Belgium over the next two years.
The announcement forms the company’s significant step towards achieving the goal of operating 24/7 carbon-free energy in all data centres and campuses across Europe.
Google Europe, Middle East and Africa president Matt Brittin said: “At Google, we know that climate change is top of mind for many of our users, with search interest for “energy crisis” hitting an all-time high in 2023.
“That’s why we are committed to developing sustainable solutions for our users, businesses, governments and our operations.”
Google has signed PPAs with Shell and Eneco, which own the Crosswind and Ecowende joint ventures, to purchase 478MW from two new offshore wind farms, HKN V and HKW VI.
The agreements support the development of subsidy-free offshore wind farms in the Netherlands, which would contribute to nearly 6% of the country’s annual consumption.
Google has signed a long-term PPA with ERG, for 47MW with an onshore wind project in Italy and two new PPAs with GoldenPeaks Capital for 106MW of solar generation capacity in Poland.
The company also signed two new green energy deals in Belgium, to support bringing 11 new onshore windfarms developed by Aspiravi and Luminus to the grid, for a total capacity of 84MW.
Through the PPAs, the US-based tech company aims to operate on carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030 and requires clean energy solutions in every grid where we operate.
Brittin added: “These efforts are part of our commitment to accelerate the decarbonisation of the world’s electricity systems, a core focus of our ambitious goal to run our data centres and office campuses on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid where we operate by 2030.
“At a time when the world relies more and more on digital services, Cloud computing and AI technologies, it is more important than ever to provide access to technology efficiently and sustainably.”
