Google, which has been investing in clean energy projects since 2010, has made a $200 million equity investment in a Texas wind farm that produces electricity for more than 60,000 homes.
Spinning Spur Wind Project in the Texas Panhandle is 161 megawatts (MW) and built by EDF Renewable Energy. 70, 2.3 MW Siemens turbines started spinning just before the new year – the power is sold to a utility that services Texas and New Mexico.
"We look for projects like Spinning Spur because, in addition to creating more renewable energy and strengthening the local economy, they also make for smart investments: they offer attractive returns relative to the risks and allow us to invest in a broad range of assets. We’re also proud to be the first investor in an EDF Renewable Energy project that is not a financial institution, as we believe that corporations can be an important new source of capital for the renewable energy sector," says Google’s blog.
This is Google’s 11th renewable energy investment, which includes some of the biggest, most important projects in the US: the Atlantic Wind Connection, a critical backbone for offshore wind transmission; Shepherds Flat, one of the world’s largest wind farms in Oregon; Ivanpah, an enormous solar project in California; and a portfolio of solar plants in Sacramento, which started commercial operation this week.
Altogether, Google’s investments add up to 2 gigawatts of power.
The company also buys renewable energy to power its data centers, especially wind.
Here’s a video on the Atlantic Wind Connection:
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