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November 15, 2007Last fall, when Google announced it was building a 1.6 megawatt solar photovoltaic installation on its campus in Mountain View, Calif., the solar world cheered the tech giant's endorsement - and deep pockets. And EI Solutions, the San Rafael, California-based solar design and building company, won the prized contract.
Completed in May, Google's is the largest single corporate solar installation in the world. The company says the solar panels have cut its grid energy consumption by 30 percent and will pay for itself within seven years.
But the project still pales in comparison to some of the largest solar installations currently under construction. In Brandis, Germany, for example, crews are outfitting a 40 megawatt photovoltaic solar park on a former military base. And just north of Las Vegas, a 15 to18 megawatt project at Nellis Air Force Base is set to open in December.
Wal-Mart, meanwhile, has announced plans to generate 20 megawatts of power via solar panels installed on multiple stores and distribution centers.
Regardless, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) could prove a boon to cleantech companies for some time to come. Its director of corporate environmental programs, Robyn Beaver, reportedly told a group of cleantech insiders at the Conference on Clean Energy in Boston two weeks ago that Google plans to increase its renewable energy consumption to 50 megawatts by 2012, and will look to wind, geothermal and fuel cell power--in addition to solar--to do the job.
To get a sense of what's involved in working with Google (free meals? back massages? A concierge?), check out EI Solutions' photos of its work on the Googleplex. (Full disclosure: Greentech Media is hosting an upcoming one-hour webinar for EI Solutions).
