Google Signs PPAs In Finland Worth 190 Megawatts
Global internet behemoth Google announced this week that it has signed three new Power Purchase Agreements to acquire the electricity generated from three wind farms in Finland worth a total of 190 megawatts (MW), continuing the company’s push to remain 100% sourced by renewable energy.
Earlier this year in April, Google announced that it had successfully sourced 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources in 2017, meeting a goal the company only set in December of 2016. Google’s 2016 announcement committed the company to sourcing 100% renewable energy for all its global operations, including data centers and offices. Given the weight Google can throw around when it wants, it was unsurprising, therefore, in April to hear that the company had successfully reached its target.
Google has committed to sourcing renewable energy through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), which are defined broadly as contracts between an independent power generator (or vendor) and a purchaser for the sale and supply of energy, in this case, the sale and supply of renewable energy. In 2017, Google was the world’s leading corporate purchaser of renewable energy, with 3 gigawatts (GW) resulting in over $3 billion in new capital investment around the world.
As one of the world’s largest providers of cloud data and services, Google continues to grow, and as such, so does its energy needs. Mark Oman, Senior Lead at Google for Energy & Infrastructure, took to the company’s The Keyword blog to announce this week that the company had signed three new PPAs for the renewable energy generated from three new wind farms in Finland, totaling 190 MW.
Specifically, the three PPAs — signed with leading European renewable energy developers CPC Finland, Neoen, and WPD — will add new renewable energy capacity to the same grid where Google draws power for its Hamina, Finland data center. In addition, the three PPAs are also Google’s first from projects which will not receive nor need any government subsidies.
Google has now signed 14 separate PPAs across Europe totaling nearly 900 MW of wind and solar capacity, which together have enabled €1 billion in renewable energy investment.
The three wind farms in question are the 81 MW Hedet wind farm, owned by Neoen and Prokon Finland, which is located in the west of Finland and is expected to begin construction later this year and to be completed by the end of 2019.
“We are delighted that Google has elected to work with us,” said Xavier Barbaro, CEO of Neoen.
“Supplying a leading multinational with green electricity in Finland, where renewable energy is encouraged, is completely in line with our strategy and our capabilities. Yet again, we demonstrate our potential to grow within Europe and to broaden our horizons thanks to competitive assets, solid foundations and a long-term outlook. Our customer base now includes several large companies as well as nation states and public authorities. By producing the most competitively priced renewable electricity locally, sustainably and on a large scale, we have become a world leader in energy transition and are proud to call Google a customer.”
The Lakiakangas wind farm is being developed by CPC Finland and is already under construction in Isojoki, located in the Southern Ostrobothnia region of Finland, and expands on two existing Vestas V126 wind turbines. The expansion will consist of 12 Vestas V150-4.2 MW wind turbines and is expected to be completed by summer of 2019. The final project is owned by WPD Finland, named Kuuronkallio and will have a final capacity of 60 MW by the time it is commissioned by the end of 2019.
For more about how companies like Google and Apple go about securing renewable energy: Are Google & Apple Really “Powered” By Renewables? Understanding Corporate 100% Renewable Energy Policies
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