Google announced this morning that some of the largest-ever solar panel projects in both Alabama and Tennessee are underway, and they’re being built to power Google data centers in each state.

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In a blog post this morning, Google has announced that it plans to provide seed funding to the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), with the aim to begin rollout of effective energy certification programs across Asia, starting in Taiwan.

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Google has announced its largest ever purchase of renewable energy to power data centers across the U.S., Sweden and Chile, reports The Washington Post. The new projects, mostly wind-powered, add a massive 842 megawatts of green energy, which Google claims is the largest investment ever by anyone other than a power company.

The investment brings Google’s total renewable energy capacity to 2 gigawatts, which is equivalent to the total energy output of the Hoover Dam. Google has pledged to power its entire operations from green energy by 2025, and Re/code reports it was 37% of the way there prior to this deal. That suggests this deal ought to take the company to around 60%.

There is a little small-print, however …  expand full story

Google today used a YouTube video to announce Project Sunroof, a website through which it is automating much of the process of researching and then purchasing solar panels for the home.

The gist of it is that while the cost of solar energy has been falling dramatically over the past few years, thanks in part to subsidies and economies of scale, the actual process of determining whether solar panels are right for you — logistically and economically speaking — is still complicated. Google is (still) a very data-driven company, though, and thinks that it can use data to provide just the right insights and information consumers are in need of, tailored specifically to each individual household. expand full story

Greenpeace today released an update to its “Clicking Clean: A Guide to Building the Green Internet” report, and while Apple continues to lead for renewable energy efforts, Google once again increases its score thanks to new initiatives. expand full story

SolarCity has partnered with Nest to offer a free Nest Learning Thermostat to the next 10,000 customers in California to sign up for solar panels.

This special offer combines two home energy solutions that can cut power bills as well as homeowners’ carbon footprint, and allows homeowners to experience these benefits with one easy package through SolarCity. 

The offer includes the company’s no-upfront-cost deals – the only conditions are that you have a Nest-compatible air-conditioning system and that you agree to connect Nest to SolarCity, most likely to allow it to collect anonymized data …  expand full story

Google has invested $300M in a SolarCity fund designed to bring solar power to around 25,000 homes. Debt financing brings the total to $750M, making it the largest ever investment in residential solar power, reports Reuters.

While investing in solar power makes sound economic sense for homeowners, as well as being good for the environment, many are deterred by the typical $20-30,000 upfront cost of purchasing the panels. The SolarCity fund instead allows homeowners to lease the panels, paying a monthly fee to do so …  expand full story

Google has agreed to invest $145 million in a 82MW solar power plant project in Kern County, California. Set on top of a former gas and oil field, the 737-acre facility will be loaded with over 248,000 SunEdison mono-crystalline solar PV modules. Once up and running, the Regulus power plant will crank out enough energy to power more than 10,000 homes.

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As Business Insider points out, Google has ranked quite well in Greenpeace’s “Clicking Clean: How Companies are Creating the Green Internet” study. Google scored an “A” in ‘renewable energy deployment & advocacy’ and a “B” in ‘energy transparency’, ‘renewable energy commitment & siting policy’, and ‘energy efficiency & mitigation’. Facebook and Apple both averaged well in the same categories, while Amazon, Microsoft, and Twitter all scored poor to dismal ratings in each category. Full report card below: expand full story

 

Google's evolving Earth Day logo throughout recent years. The logo signifies the company's interest in green energy.

Google is ending 2011 with a green bang.

The technology giant made an investment that brought its total renewable energy investments to more than $915 million. Google announced this morning that it is injecting $94 million into four solar photovoltaic projects established near Sacramento, Calif. The portfolio projects are being built by solar development company Recurrent Energy.

“We’ve already committed to providing funding this year to help more than 10,000 homeowners install solar PV panels on their rooftops,” announced Recurrent Energy in a statement. The development company also released energy details through its press-release concerning expected electricity generation:

The four solar PV facilities included in the transaction will provide 88 MW of power to SMUD   and were the first to be awarded as part of the utility’s feed-­in tariff program (FIT) introduced in January 2010…The projects are expected to generate nearly 160,000,000 kWh in their first year of operation, which is roughly equivalent to offsetting the electricity consumption of more than 13,000 average U.S. homes.

The facilities serve the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.  Construction on three of the area projects will finish in early 2012, with the fourth completing later in the year. Global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., through a new venture called SunTap Energy, is co-investing in the projects alongside Google.

“The investment is a clear demonstration of solar’s ability to attract private capital from well-­ established investors like Google and KKR,” said Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy, in the blog post.  “This transaction provides an example of the direction solar is headed as a viable, mainstream part of our energy economy.” expand full story