Google to buy and sell wind energy

US: Google's renewable energy subsidiary has completed its first deal, and will buy clean energy from a wind farm in Iowa.

21 July 2010

The Iowa wind farm comprises 100 GE 1.5MW XLE turbines
The deal is the first by Google Energy LLC, which was formed last December.

The company will resell the energy back to the grid and retire the Renewable Energy Certificate associated with the power.

Urs Hoelzle, Google senior vice president, operations, said: "We’ve been excited about this deal because taking 114 megawatts of wind power off the market for so long means producers have the incentive and means to build more renewable energy capacity for other customers."

The company will by the energy from the 114MW NextEra Energy Resources Story County II facility in Story and Hardin counties in Iowa.

Google announced in 2007 that it would become carbon neutral.