Google signs first solar PPAs in Japan for 60 MW

“We have set an ambitious 2030 goal of 24/7, zero-emission power on every network where we operate, and this power purchase agreement brings us one step closer to achieving that goal,” said Shinji Okuyama, vice president of Google Japan, in the deal giant search engines will also receive renewable energy certificates related to photovoltaic power plants.

“With this project, we are enabling an aggregated network of small solar power plants across multiple grid regions to support our Inzai data center and our expansion in Japan.”

Under the second agreement, Google will finance the construction of a 20 MW utility-scale project in Chiba Prefecture to be developed by Shizen Energy and its partner Bison Energy. Shizen expects to begin construction on this project in 2026, with the facility operational the following year.

“We worked closely with our partner Bison Energy on this project, reflecting our strategy to serve as a hub to connect customers’ decarbonization needs with a deep pool of projects developed by both Shizen and its partners,” said Shizen Executive Director Oliver Senter.

The news follows Google’s latest investment in the solar space after signing PPAs with Salt River Project in Arizona earlier this year and SB Energy last year. In its latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, published last July and covering 2022 data, the company noted that it has invested in approximately 10 GW of clean energy generation capacity and plans to spend approximately $10 billion on purchase of clean energy by 2040

Google’s investments in Japanese solar energy in particular could also help Japan meet its own climate change goals. The government aims to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the country’s energy mix from 26% in 2022 to 38% by 2030, when it will have the largest share in Japan’s energy mix.

The government also aims to increase operational solar PV capacity from 79 GW in 2022 to 108 GW by the end of the decade, with solar PV plants expected to be installed in half of all government buildings as distributed solar energy is expected to form a key part of the country’s solar industry.