Google HQ to set solar power example

GOOGLE is converting its renowned headquarters to run partly on solar power, hoping to set an example for corporate America.

The internet giant announced what is believed to be the largest solar project undertaken by a US company during a solar energy conference in Silicon Valley.

Google believes the sun eventually can deliver as much as 30% of the power at its 1m-square-foot campus in Mountain View — a suburb about 56 kilometres south of San Francisco.

The ambitious project will require installing more than 9,200 solar panels on a hi-tech mecca nicknamed the Googleplex.

After leasing the offices for several years, Google bought the campus for $319 million (€254m) earlier this year.

Once they’re in place next spring, the solar panels are expected to produce about 1.6 megawatts of electricity, or enough power to supply about 1,000 homes.

The job is being handled by Pasadena-based EI Solutions, part of a hi-tech incubator run by entrepreneur Bill Gross, whose idea to link ads to search engine requests during the 1990 inspired the business model that generates most of Google’s profits.

Google wouldn’t disclose the project’s cost, but it won’t strain a company with nearly $10 billion (€7.9bn) in cash.

The anticipated savings from future energy bills should enable Google to recoup the solar project’s costs in five to 10 years, estimated David Radcliffe, the company’s vice president of real estate.

“We hope corporate America is paying attention. We want to see a lot of copycats” Mr Radcliffe said.