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Google To Use 100% Energy From Renewable Sources In 2017

Google is leading the way for green energy consumption, by openly committing to powering its operations entirely with renewable sources from 2017.

It currently buys 44 per cent of its energy from solar and wind farms, but intends to increase this to 100 per cent over the next few weeks so that it does not have to rely on fossil fuels at all next year.

The internet giant will power its data centres and offices, which are used by more than 60,000 staff, entirely from green sources, including solar, wind, biomass, nuclear and hydro energy.

Marc Oman, EU energy lead at Google, said: “Our founders are convinced climate change is a real, immediate threat, so we have to do our part.”

The firm began its campaign to be 100 per cent reliant on green energy in 2012, and it has taken five years to reach its target thanks to having to negotiate power purchase agreements, which Mr Oman said was “complicated” and would be difficult for smaller businesses.

Indeed, many small and medium-sized companies want to use more renewable sources than they currently do, with Haven Power recently revealing that 72 per cent would like to be greener, and over a quarter wanted more support from their supplier to become energy-efficient.

Mr Oman added that the move, which is partly fuelled by environmental concerns, is also “good for business” as the falling price of solar and wind power means they are the cheapest fuels to purchase next year.

Google’s commitment to green energy will have a massive impact on the industry, and, in 2015, it used 5.7 terrawatt hours (TWh) of renewable electricity, which is just below the 7.6 TWh produced by all the UK’s solar panels that year.

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