Google teknar agreement with Swedish Eolus. Photo: Stephen Lam / Reuters, Therese Säfström / Ecocom / TT
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Google sign several large agreement to purchase renewable energy from coming caftan plants in the US, Chile – and in Sweden. A total of agreements equivalent to 842 megawatts of electricity, of which 76 megawatts will come from a wind farm in Jenåsen outside Sundsvall.
– It is very important to us that Google is entering into this Agreement and reduces much risk. It means that we can make investment decisions on building this facility, says Per Witalisson, CEO of Eolus.
Google is the contract part in achieving the company’s goal to operate at 100 percent renewable energy. With today’s agreement on six different projects the company a big step closer to the goal, according to Francois Sterin, head of global infrastructure at Google.
– We said earlier this year that we should increase the proportion of renewable energy to our data center three times by 2025. With today’s agreement we have gone from one gigawatt to nearly two gigawatts.
Google is committed to purchase electricity from the upcoming plant outside Sundsvall for 10 years. The electricity from the Swedish wind power plant will be used for Google’s data center in Finland. The center is run today on 100 percent renewable and the new agreement will ensure that it will continue to do so.
– But this is not just a moral obligation, it is a good affärsbelsut seen the market value of energy . This is about securing our access to electricity, says Francois Sterin.
Similar agreements it with Eolus Google has signed with the planned facilities in Chile and in the US. In the US there are three wind power projects and a plant for solar energy. Google has also signed agreements with another photovoltaic plant in Chile.
– We have made financial investments in the sun before, but it is the first time we do this type of agreement with the plants. We find both sun and wind are good sources of energy so the choice depends on the energy that is most cost effective in the region, says Francois Sterin.
All the projects will be running between 2016 and 2018, and Google undertakes to buying electricity for between 10 and 20 years. In Sundsvall planning Eolus the facility to be completed in spring 2018 and at the same time broad way for more projects to come.
– In this particular area, Jenåsen, so it requires a huge network expansion to build the plant. So this agreement also allows for more projects and other actors in the region, says Per Witalisson.
in Chile and in the US , Google has agreements with sites located close to Google’s various data centers .
– The Nordic power grid is quite inclusive so there we could use a provider in Sweden for our Finnish data center. But for the others, we have chosen local projects close to our own facilities, for example, in North Carolina, where we have an important center.
In 2014 was Google on 37 percent renewable energy in their operations.
When you will reach the target of 100 percent?
– We aim as soon as possible, but because we choose new projects and do not take renewable energy already present in the network so it takes a little longer. But we think it’s important to find new projects to accelerate the development of renewable energy.
Eolus and Google has an agreement earlier. It was signed in January 2014, and concerned all the electricity produced from four wind farms in southern Sweden. The wind farms became operational in 2014 and 2015.
After Eolus shares rose 8.5 percent on the news sank it back during and at the close of trading on Thursday ended the share of plus 5.5 percent.
Google would not comment what it has paid for the various contracts.
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