Google Goes Solar
10/17/2006
SustainableBusiness.com News
In early 2007, Google will add another word to the lexicon - Googleplex. It means: the largest solar power system ever installed on a single corporate campus - and it will be at the company's headquarters in in Mountain View, California.
EI Solutions is building a system on 197,000 square feet on top of existing buildings and new parking lot shade structures (designed especially for the project). The total capacity of 1.6 megawatts (MW) will use 9,212 solar panels provided by Sharp Electronics.
Google will save more than $393,000 annually in energy costs or close to $15 million over the 30-year lifespan of its solar system. The system is expected to pay for itself in about 7.5 years.