Google is teaming up with New Green Power (NGP), a Taiwanese solar company, to build a 1 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy project in Taiwan. This partnership, supported by BlackRock, aims to help Google and Taiwan achieve their climate goals by boosting green energy production in Taiwan, an important hub for making computer chips in today’s high-tech world.
Currently, Google maintains a significant presence in Taiwan, including a data center. According to Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy, Taiwan’s power grid relies on fossil fuels for nearly 85 percent of its energy.
She emphasized the crucial role companies can play in expanding renewable energy sources and promoting technologies that support the complete decarbonization of regional electricity systems.
Google plans to utilize up to 300 megawatts of solar capacity from this project to power its data centers in Taiwan. Furthermore, Peterson Corio indicated that Google might allocate some of this clean energy capacity to its semiconductor suppliers and manufacturers in the area.
This initiative would assist Google’s partners in achieving their green energy targets and reducing indirect emissions (Scope 3) associated with Google’s supply chain.
The deal is pending regulatory approval, and Google has not disclosed the financial specifics of its investment in NGP. Nonetheless, the partnership is a significant step toward broad decarbonization, essential for Google’s net-zero objectives, as it addresses the electricity grids that power its suppliers and users.
