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The Wind Beneath The Interwebs

We discuss the recent transition towards wind power and other renewable energy as Google and NextEra enter power purchase agreement.

Last month, Google announced that its headquarters in Mountain View, CA would soon be run completely on wind power. That power will be purchased from a wind farm located between the San Francisco Bay Area and the California’s Central Valley. NextEra Energy owns said farm and, unlike most power companies that require you sign up for a minimum one-year contract, NextEra has locked Google into a whooping 20-year power purchase agreement. That would be enough Amex points to buy a Telsa!

The announcement comes on the heels of Apple’s recent admission that it spent $850 million to power its Cupertino headquarters and all California Apple stores, via a 280-megawatt solar farm in Monterey County. (Apple’s pocket change is also being used to help build the farm.)

Yo, friendly wind power, Topo Chico in the fridge, plus nap rooms, what’s not to love about Google?

“Quite frankly, we’re doing this because it’s right to do, but you may also be interested to know that it’s good financially to do it,” Cook told the crowd at a Goldman Sachs conference. “We expect to have a very significant savings because we have a fixed price for the renewable energy, and there’s quite a difference between that price and the price of brown energy."

Jackpot. Assuming NextEra doesn’t go under, what we wouldn’t give to lock-in our rate for 20 years in the Texas heat!

Sam Arons, a Google energy strategist, also told the Mercury News, "Not only do we think renewable energy is important from a climate change perspective, it also makes business sense," he said. The article added, "The buy helps protect Google from higher energy prices in the future, Arons said."

We’ll leave you with a parting question - Where is natural gas in this equation? It’s the obvious choice financially, cheaper than both solar and wind. And hey, we know a company that can help you out with getting the best prices.

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Tools We Use: Asana

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