Google dead serious about green energy, buys 20 years of wind power

Google aimed for a while now at reducing the amount of carbon its operations pump into the atmosphere. As the world’s largest search engine that also boasts a sprawling empire of cloud-based software the company certainly has steep power needs. While Google already has some of the most efficient data centers, it’s further affirming a commitment to going carbon neutral by purchasing 20 years worth of wind power from NextEra Energy Resources Story County II facility in Story and Hardin counties in Iowa.

While it isn’t a direct innovation in the renewable energy space, Google is pumping cash into an industry that’s struggling to get financing right now amid the lukewarm economy. That means NextEra will be able to focus on its core competency instead of hunting for new business, and with an established contract spanning 2 decades they should have time to build many other new renewable energy projects.

It’s easy to think of Internet companies outside the context of pollution because interaction with them takes place over the web. We don’t see trucks expelling gas, trees being chopped down, or oil spilling into the Gulf. But though the energy consumption is invisible to a typical user, it’s very real and grows daily as Internet usage pervades the lives of more people more deeply (mobile devices are at the forefront of that growth).

That in mind, it’s good to see Google taking a leadership role in giving back to the Earth. In this deal, Google bought 114 megawatts of wind generation, according to its press release. That’s enough energy to power several of its data centers and the halo effect could trickle through many parts of the economy.

Granted, most companies don’t have the buying power of a Google, but if even a small percentage of them across the board took an interest in purchasing renewable energy and acted on it, the positive impact could be tremendous.