Google is going greener. The company wants to back regulators at a power plant to allow them to provide clean energy for companies willing to fork over more money.
The company wants "utilities to offer a renewable power option for companies that request it — something that's not currently offered by most utilities," Google published in a blog post.
Google has partnered with North Carolina Duke Energy to allow Duke to sell large volumes of clean energy power at a different rate from its other grids. The energy market is typically regulated by states and Duke sells its power, which mainly comes from coal and nuclear sources, at a variety of rates to different companies. Currently, Duke has a rate for residents, small businesses, larger commercial services and large-scale companies like Google.
Google has a $600-million large data center in Lenoir, N.C. that it may continue to expand. The company wants this center to receive green energy power. Google has already invested millions for clean energy sources like wind and solar. Other companies like Apple have also expressed interest in green energy by building solar arrays and green methane-powered fuel cells in its North Carolina center.
"Utilities would offer companies like Google the choice to buy renewable energy through a new class of service. The service would be voluntary, provided only to those companies that request it but open to all customers that want it and meet basic criteria," wrote the search giant In a five-page white paper published Friday.
If Google is able to successfully create a new tariff plan, other companies may be able to invest in expansion in North Carolina and other states that provide no other energy option for greening large companies.
