Google Taps Into Wind

5/3/10—As internet giant Google goes, so goes the world. That’s how it sometimes feels, and in this case it would be a very good thing. Google has invested $38.8 million into two wind farms in North Dakota. Yep, North Dakota. While it’s not Texas, since Texas creates more wind energy than any other state, this can still be seen as a big plus locally.

Google has made many efforts to promote clean-energy adoption, including a stated goal to be carbon neutral in their operations. While many large companies and banks are sitting on much-needed investment money for clean energy start-ups, Google is setting a major precedent to move in the other direction.

The two wind farms will ultimately generate 169.5 megawatts of power, enough to supply 55,000 homes. The 113 turbines will be state-of-the-art technologically (any surprise?), being able to adjust themselves via computer to take advantage of the current wind direction.