Google Pushing To Be Carbon-Free By 2030

Google has set up plans to become a carbon-free company by 2030. Despite having lead the way in renewable energy consumption, the Search giant still believes that there are areas where improvement is needed. In 2007, the company officially became carbon neutral, and by 2017 managed to match its energy use with 100% renewable energy.

But, by 2030 the company wants to eliminate its entire carbon legacy. It is going to commit to running all its data centers and campuses worldwide on carbon-free energy. This may seem like a lofty goal, but the company believes that by combining solar and wind energy sources as well as taking advantage of certain government policies, they could help it get there.

It’s also investing in tech that will help its partners make sustainable energy choices. This includes investing in manufacturing regions to enable 5 GW of new carbon-free energy. And as such, the company and its partners could eventually make a significant impact in their reliance on energy sources that are detrimental to the environment.

If it is able to full this off, Google believes that, “Every email you send through Gmail, every question you ask Google Search, every YouTube video you watch, and every route you take using Google Maps, is supplied by clean energy every hour of every day.”

The 5 GW of new energy will help spur more than $5 billion in clean energy investments, avoid the emissions equivalent to the pollution of 1 million cars, and create 8,000 new energy jobs. Though this might seem like a win-win for Google, but the journey there will be fraught with challenges and push-back from certain quarters.