Google is invest in a Taiwanese solar company with plans to build a 1 gigawatt (GW) sustainable energy pipeline in the region. The company is placing a stake in New Green Power (NGP), part of BlackRock’s investment portfolio, for the project. The move could help Google and Taiwan move closer to their climate goals while stabilizing green energy production in one of the most crucial semiconductor hubs of our new ai-infused world.
Google already has a significant presence in Taiwan, including a data centerAccording to Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center power, fossil fuels currently power nearly 85 percent of Taiwan’s power grid. “To help overcome these obstacles, companies can play a critical role in pursuing new strategies to increase the supply of available renewable energy sources and promoting emerging technologies that enable full decarbonization of regional electricity systems,” she wrote.
Google expects to use up to 300 megawatts of solar capacity to power its data centers in Taiwan. In addition, Peterson Corio says the company “could offer a portion of this clean energy capacity to (its) semiconductor suppliers and manufacturers in the region.” He said that would help its partners meet their green energy goals and reduce indirect (scope 3) emissions from Google’s supply chain partners.
“A significant part of our Scope 3 footprint can be traced back to the power grids that power our suppliers and users, so broad decarbonization, and partnerships like this, remain critical to our net zero emissions goal,” he wrote Peterson Corio.
Regulators have not yet approved the deal. Google has not said how much it will invest in NGP.
