GOOGLE INKS $3 BILLION US HYDROPOWER DEAL IN LARGEST CLEAN ENERGY AGREEMENT OF ITS KIND

Google has signed a historic $3 billion hydropower agreement in the United States, marking the largest clean energy deal of its kind and setting a new precedent for corporate sustainability initiatives in the technology sector.

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As the demand for reliable and carbon-free energy accelerates, Google's latest clean energy investment places the tech giant at the forefront of 24/7 renewable energy innovation. The company's deal, structured as a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), shifts focus toward continuous and dispatchable power sources, specifically hydroelectricity, which are essential for meeting the round-the-clock demands of data centers and cloud infrastructure.

A MAJOR STRATEGIC SHIFT IN GOOGLE'S ENERGY POLICY

The Google hydropower deal aligns with the company's ambitious objective to run all of its operations worldwide on carbon-free energy every hour of every day by 2030. This 24/7 carbon-free energy goal goes far beyond traditional net-zero targets, which typically allow for balancing emissions over time or location.

Instead, Google is seeking to precisely match its energy usage with clean generation in real time.

Unlike wind or solar energy, which are variable and depend on environmental conditions, hydropower is a dispatchable clean energy source. This means it can be adjusted and controlled to match demand, offering a more stable and predictable supply of carbon-free electricity. For Google, this level of reliability is essential to support the intensive and continuous operations of data centers, artificial intelligence systems, and digital infrastructure.

Michael Terrell, Google's Senior Director of Energy and Climate, described the deal as a turning point in the company's clean energy roadmap. "This is the largest single clean energy purchase we've ever made and represents major milestone in our journey toward 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030," he said in a public statement.