Google annouced today that it plans to install "1.6 megawatts of solar photovoltaic panels at our Mountain View campus", making this one of the largest corporate solar installations. To put things in perspective, that 1.6 megawatts is enough to power 1,000 Californian homes.
Over here in the UK, online DIY retails B&Q launched a range of solar panels and wind turbines for consumers. These represent a real step forward for home owners in the UK, but they are also rare enough to stand out and make headlines. One commentator even went so far as to strenuously point out that the energy derived from wind turbines isn't sent directly to your own house, but into the national grid itself. Practicing fud in this fashion is clearly an enticing option for people who don't see the value in a sustainable lifestyle.
Google, on the other hand, clearly do and their switch to solar power has certainly aroused interest. Google aims to generate around 30% of the power they'll end us using, which is an encouraging figure. As a computer company, though, with a hackers' mentality towards servers and data centers, the huge clusters that make up their search engine as unlikely to be seen as green cheerleaders in the foreseeable future.
However, the good news is that with projects like the Summer of Green and their employees treated to "hormone-free chicken, beef from free-range cows and eggs from cage-free hens in its five cafeterias", Google still looks like a very green company. What with their shuttle buses, bike doctors, recycled couches and locally sourced food, Google certainly gets an 'ecolocal' stamp of approval.
"Among the campus's five cafeterias is one called Cafe 150, which serves only ingredients from farms within 150 miles of the kitchen. The trash volume in the dining room is zero and all the to-go silverware, cups and containers are compostable. One local supplier delivers goods in a biodiesel-based truck and fills it up with fat from the kitchen's fryer." (via Microsoft vs. Google: Who's greener?)
Reply to this article / Report this article
Replying to this comment:
It's great to see that such a large company has a green policy that can make a difference. Working within the web and media world I see a lot about Google - it was unusual to see something like this come up that meant it crossed both of my areas of interest.
It seems more big companies are beginning to take a truly valuable stance - Virgin and Disney both taking very different, but very important stand points.
Reply to this comment