Google Procures Some Green Electrons (114 Megawatts Worth)
Written by John NicollLeadership is incredibly valuable when it comes to the values revolution and Google is stepping up to the plate with their recent announcement that their energy subsidiary, Google Energy, has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Nextra Energy.
Exhibiting a savvy understanding of green economics, the company stated,
"Through the long term purchase of renewable energy at a predetermined price, we're partially protecting ourselves against future increases in power prices. This is a case where buying green makes business sense."
Google will not be able to directly use the energy create at NextEra Energy's Iowa wind farm. They will instead sell the power on the regional spot market, where utilities and electricity retailers go to buy power when demand spikes and they have have a shortfall.
Urs Hoelzle, Google's senior vice president for operations, wrote on a blog post Tuesday,
"The inability of renewable energy developers to obtain financing has been a significant inhibitor to the expansion of renewable energy. 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."
With this bold move, google is exhibiting an understanding of and respect for future life as well as engaging the precautionary principle by investing in non-nuclear technology. And by taking responsibility for their energy needs, the Company also shows an understanding of our interdependency as a species. As a result, future generations and the environment are breathing a sigh of relief.
President Obama met Sunday with local, state, and federal authorities to survey the damage of BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began after an offshore drilling rig exploded on April 20 off the coast of Louisiana.
At the end of the day, the president gave a briefing from the small town of Venice, LA—a place many believe will be the first community to be affected by the spill as it moves inland. “Now, I think the American people are now aware, certainly the folks down in the Gulf are aware, that we're dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster,” said Obama.
The BP disaster is already being compared to the 1989 Exxon Valdez off the coast of Alaska—the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
It is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—a colossal, swirling mass of plastic and other marine debris located in the northern Pacific Ocean. The debris has been sucked into the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, and is estimated to be anywhere from twice the size of the state of Texas to as large as Canada.
The worlds’ oceans contain a series of converging currents called gyres. These currents create natural swirling vortexes that play a vital role in keeping global temperatures in check. Gyres move in a clockwise pattern, allowing heat to be transferred towards the earth’s poles, while simultaneously cooling tropical regions as cold air is sucked towards the equator.
Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF), studies the impact of plastics on the world’s oceans. Moore believes the majority of the North Pacific Gyre, an area roughly twice the size of the United States, to be laden with plastics and other debris. The sheer size of the Garbage Patch should make it an easy target for aerial and satellite photography, but an actual photo has proven hard to find. AMRF has described the Garbage Patch as “a plastic soup…[that] is distributed throughout the water column as well as in the sediment on the sea floor,” making it virtually unperceivable from the air.1
The picture remained bleak last week after BP announced the temporary failure of its massive 98-ton containment device at the site of the ruptured MC252 oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. BP had projected that in a best case scenario the device could collect up to 85% of the oil spewing forth from the largest of the three leaks, which began after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform last April 20.
The device had been tested successfully at depths of up to 400 feet, but encountered major hang-ups as it plummeted to a depth of 5,000 feet to the source of the leak. A top BP official noted that it could be at least another two days before engineers find a solution to the problem and are able to attempt a second repair.
The breach in the subterranean pipeline continues to discharge some 210,000 gallons—5,000 barrels—of crude a day into the Gulf waters.
Stanley the Cow, Norman the Hippo, Freda the Orangutan, and a host of other creative creatures are out to save the planet. Discovery Communications has launched animalssavetheplanet.com, a website for children and adults alike, where a cast of Wallace-and-Gromit-style plasticine characters offer common-sense tips on what we can do to help soften our carbon footprint. The website's powered by solar energy, consuming 60% less energy and generating 50% less heat than conventional websites powered by non-renewable energy sources. Through twelve different animated shorts, animalssavetheplanet.com encourages viewers to reduce carbon emissions, recycle, buy and use biodegradable products, eat a healthy and balanced diet in order to reduce greenhouse gases, conserve water and electricity, and avoid using plastic bags. Check out animated shorts and see what you and your family can do to make a difference.
