Google is making the big switch to green initiatives. What investment is Google making into solar panels? Google built the biggest installation of corporate solar panel in all of the United Sates. This installation is used in its Googleplexx headquarters situated in Mountainview California.
To be able to generate enough solar energy to power the entire corporate complex, Google utilized more than 9,000 panels which are all placed on top of the building roofs. They placed also additional units on top of their newly built garages.
The solar energy powers other Google eco-friendly initiatives such as the electric vehicles which employees use to drive to work. The solar panel electricity capacity generates around 1.6MW. This amount of electricity can provide power sufficient to do 80,000 hours of viewing in a flat screen tv each day.
The installation costs Google more than $3 million dollars. Since the panel can save the company an equivalent of $390,000 of electricity each year, the technology can pay for all the installation fees in short eight years. This is definitely a great energy saving device for the giant corporation.
In the same vein, Google has so far invested $168 million into its pursuit of solar generated electricity. Google injected the $168 million dollar investments to its Brightsource Energy Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating systems located in the Mojave Desert in California. The construction of the solar thermal power plant started in 2010. It is expected to be completed by 2013.
When completed, the sun power plant is expected to provide 2,600 megawatts of sun energy into the present electrical grid. This electrical power is sufficient to power up to 140,000 homes. It is expected to use 173,000 heliostats with two mirrors for each of them.
Google investment into solar panels is in keeping with its vision of pursuing innovation and new methods. This eco-friendly initiative by the giant company will definitely reap great benefits. It makes the company sustainable and the environment less polluted.