Better Energy has signed a PPA with Google
Better Energy will supply Google with solar energy from three solar plants in the municipalities of Gimming in Randers, Næstved and Nordjurs in Denmark for a total capacity of 100 MWp. The solar plants are connected to the same grid where Google will operate its new data center in Fredericia, Denmark.
In a global announcement on Friday, September 20, 2019, the American multinational technology company Google announced several renewable energy purchases in six countries. Denmark will be home to five solar plants that will power Google’s new data center in Fredericia, Denmark.
The solar plants in Gimming, Næstved and Norddjurs are expected to be operational in summer 2020.
“A company like Google uses a lot of energy because we help keep the internet running 24 hours a day,” says Google’s Danish CEO Malou Aamund and continues:
“But at the same time, we feel a huge responsibility for this happening in the most sustainable way possible.”
Denmark will benefit from the project
Better Energy CEO Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær explains that the agreement with Google means that for ten years, the IT giant will be supplied with electricity produced by the solar plants at a fixed price:
“Google benefits from the agreement because they will now have a solid source to supply their power consumption. It also provides predictability of the price of electricity over the next ten years.”
Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær points out that Denmark will also benefit from the project:
“It adds new green power to the Danish energy supply, which means that Google does not take existing green power, but they help to add new green power that matches the new consumption they place in Denmark.”
The solar plant in Næstved will be Denmark's first zero-subsidy solar plant connected to the grid.