Turning a Coal Plant Into a Clean Data Center? Google It

There are few companies that are more forward-thinking than Google. Time and time again the internet giant has pushed the limits of technology, and expanded its work into innovative realms. Its existing software already helps shape our everyday lives: the Google search engine handles an average of 40,000 inquiries per second and Gmail now serves 900 million users worldwide. But Google remains on the lookout for the next technology breakthrough, and is developing technologies that may define our society’s future, such as the Google Glass and self-driving car.

It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Google has been and continues to be a leader in the global transition to clean and renewable energy sources. Since 2007, Google has used renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements, and verified carbon offsets to ensure it has a carbon-neutral impact on the environment. It has invested more than $1.5 billion in renewable energy projects across the world, for a total capacity of over 2.5 gigawatts (GW), and just this past week the company announced its latest venture into the world of sustainable energy.

On June 24, Google announced an unprecedented $600 million project to revitalize the soon-to-be retired Widows Creek coal-fired power plant in Alabama into a new international data processing center completely powered by renewable energy. David Pomerantz, a Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace, noted Google’s project goes far beyond its actual environmental benefits by serving as a symbol in the clean energy revolution. Pomerantz stated, “It’s very important symbolism to take an old coal plant that is a relic of the old energy system and convert it into a data center that will be powered by renewable energy.” Additionally, in a blog post announcing the facility, Google recognized that “the cleanest energy is the energy you don’t use,” and went on to describe the “state-of-the-art energy efficiency technologies” they plan to incorporate into their new data center, which will make it 3.5 times more efficient than their data centers were just five years ago.

The facility is not only a huge win for the environment, but also for the local economy. The $600 million investment will provide an economic boost to the rural area, creating up to 100 permanent jobs with an average salary of $45,000, more than replacing the 90 jobs supported by the coal plant, and generating several million dollars in property tax revenue for the county’s school system. Once one of Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) largest power plants, the retirement of the 63-year-old Widows Creek coal plant is part of TVA's attempts to reduce smog and carbon pollution in the area.

Google’s action comes at a time when the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) could potentially lead to the early retirement of coal plants all across the nation. As currently proposed, the CPP establishes a national goal of reducing emissions from the power sector by 30 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2030, and once finalized, the EPA projects that it will lead to the retirement of 50 GW of coal-fired power generation between 2016 and 2020. With the impending retirement of these coal facilities, what can be done to lessen the economic impact on local communities?

Google is leading the way forward with their actions, and providing at least one answer to that question: take the relics from our dirty energy past and turn them into symbolic pieces of our inevitable sustainable future.

 

Author: Ori Gutin