Google leads the way by focusing on ecology, investing in Taiwan’s new green energy that will be powered by zero-emission energy – industry news

In a bid to reduce its carbon footprint, Google has invested in Taiwanese company New Green Power and may buy up to 300 megawatts of renewable energy from the BlackRock-controlled company.

With this, Google aims to use carbon-free energy wherever it operates. However, the growing demand for data processing power in the sector to power artificial intelligence recorded an increase in emissions.

Investors are putting pressure on companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations and value chains, and big technology companies have set themselves the most ambitious goals.

Taiwan is the main location for Google’s cloud technology with the company’s data center and offices, while still relying on fossil fuels to generate nearly 85 percent of its energy, said Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of Data Center Energy at Google. “The purpose of this investment is really to support the construction of a large-scale solar pipeline in Taiwan,” Corio added.

Both Google and BlackRock declined to say how much they would own in NGP, but if Corio is to be believed, the investment was expected to provide equity and debt financing for a 1-gigawatt (GW) pipeline. Sharing information with suppliers would help Google reduce so-called scope 3 emissions, or those associated with its value chain, she added.

Decarbonizing regions, including Asia-Pacific, can be challenging due to underdeveloped infrastructure and regulations that make it difficult for corporate customers to purchase green energy. Taiwan aims to have 20 GW of solar power by 2025 and as much as 80 GW by 2050, according to BlackRock.

Corio said Google would be able to donate some of the purchased solar energy to local producers and suppliers and also use it to power its own operations.

(with Reuters data)