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Mountain View, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] I thought that I was heading down to Mountain View, California, to check out the unveiling of the Google headquarters gigantic solar power installation yesterday, which at 1.6 megawatts (MW) is the largest installation of solar on a single corporate campus in the U.S. But the size of the array was only the tip of the iceberg.
Although Google's solar array has been unofficially generating power for the past four weeks, June 18th was the first official day it was in operation. In one day the system generated 9,468 kilowatt-hours of electricity. According to the Google website that tracks the system's energy production that is enough to power 39,329 alarm clocks for 24 hours or do 3,432 loads of laundry.
Google expects to save more than $393,000 annually in energy costs—or close to $15 million over the 30-year lifespan of its solar system. At this rate, EI Solutions, the company that designed and installed Google's photovoltaic (PV) system, Inc., estimates the system will pay for itself in approximately 7.5 years.
After six months of construction, EI Solutions Inc., finished work on time and on budget, a real feat considering the varying topography of the buildings and the scale of the installation. The majority of the solar panels were installed on the rooftops of the Googleplex, which include multiple architectures and required the use of four different mounting systems.
The remaining panels were placed on newly constructed carports in two existing Google parking lots which allowed for additional capacity. Arial photos show a corporate campus paved with solar panels, 9,212 panels to be exact with each one manufactured by Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group.
Vehicle-to-Grid Technology
The unveiling yesterday didn't stop at an extra large PV system. Dr. Larry Brilliant, head of Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, got behind the podium and announced the search engine company's new Recharge It program—a Google.org initiative that aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
As part of this initiative, Google.org awarded $1 million in grants and announced plans for a $10 million request for proposals (RFP) to fund development, adoption and commercialization of plug-ins, fully electric cars and related V2G technology. The company also announced yesterday they had teamed with PG&E to demonstrate the bidirectional flow of electricity between plug-ins and the electric grid.
"By demonstrating the technology using our own fleet and supporting others through grants and investments, together we will drive toward a plug-in revolution," said Brilliant, noting that Google has been offering a $5,000 rebate to employees who purchase a vehicle that gets over 45 miles per gallon.
So, it's no surprise to find underneath Google's solar paneled carports, the parking lot is filled with 40+mpg Priuses as well as the new 100-150 mpg modified hybrids that plug into power cords hanging from the carports.
"Clean energy technology can dramatically shift how we make and use energy for our cars and homes by charging cars through an electric grid powered by solar or other renewable energy sources, and selling power back to the electric grid when it's needed most. This approach can quadruple the fuel efficiency of cars on the road today and improve grid stability," added Dr. Brilliant.
The plug-in system creates a flexible, mobile energy storage system capable of stabilizing the grid during peak use times.
"Plug-in hybrids are the best of both worlds between electric cars and the flexibility of a hybrid," said Chelsea Sexton, who you might recognize from the documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car? "So a plug-in hybrid is a vehicle where maybe your first 40 miles of the day are all electric, Monday through Friday you may never use gasoline. But if you wanted to drive to Vegas on the weekend you have the flexibility to do that by putting gasoline in the tank as a backup. We call plug in hybrids electric vehicles with safety nets."
"Once people try plugging in they don't want to go back to the gas station," added Sexton.
In addition to the $10 million RFP, the RechargeIT initiative includes grants to the following organizations and is inagurating the below projects:
• Brookings Institution: $200,000 to support a spring 2008 conference on federal policy to promote plug-ins;
• CalCars: $200,000 to support its work to educate the public about plug-ins;
• Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI): $200,000 to support its plug-in research and development program;
• Plug-In America: $100,000 to raise public awareness and advocate for plug-in transportation;
• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): $200,000 to enable RMI to launch the design of a practical plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, with additional support and collaboration by Alcoa, Johnson Controls, and the Turner Foundation;
• Dr. Willett Kempton, University of Delaware: $150,000 for megawatt-scale vehicle-to-grid research and implementation planning;
• Plug-In Data Project: To demonstrate the potential of this new technology, Google has partnered with A123Systems/Hymotion to convert a small fleet of hybrid cars into plug-ins and published preliminary performance data at www.google.org/recharge/. The experimental fleet of plug-in Prius models has averaged 74 mpg to date, compared with 41 mpg for the test fleet of non-plug-in Prius hybrids;
• Google Fleet: Through a partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the Google Fleet is a program designed to support alternative commuting through a free car-sharing program that will be offered to Google employees. The program will eventually expand to include 100 plug-ins as they become available.
Add Your Comment
35 Reader Comments
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2 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
I'm very excited about this. I just bought my second hybrid, we have a prius and a hylander now. My whole reason for going with this technology was my hope for the plug in to really come in to focus by the time my warranty runs out! Does anyone think that Toyota will do a plug in modification that won't void the warranty? Is that part of the goal of Plug in America? I would do it tomorrow if they would. I think Google is paving the way for corporate America - and I am grateful to them for doing so.
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3 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Google has taken an excellent first step! We are developing breakthrough magnetic energy conversion systems. Unlike solar, this revolutionary technology can generate electricity 24/7 at modest cost. Within the next 12 months, a demonstration with a hybrid Prius is expected to replace the need for a plug, by providing a pair of on-board 1 kW solid-state generators. These Magnetic Power Modules(tm) can also be linked together to power homes. With further development, they can replace the need for engines or fuel-cells to power vehicles. Skeptics will be legion. They will soon find, to their surprise, that this is real technology that can help to rapidly reduce the need for fossil or nuclear fuels. Our website is: magneticpowerinc.com Mark Goldes, Chairman & CEO, Magnetic Power Inc. |
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4 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Google is to be congratulated for more than just good citizenship. The various grants are great, but saving almost $400k/yr is great too!
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5 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
One LARGE 'Atta-Boy !" award, coming up...!! Go Google !!
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6 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Regarding the shading effect of roof-mounted panels, evacuated tube solar thermal collectors significantly reduce solar gain, because virtually no solar IR heat is radiated through the roof. This reduction in solar gain reduces building A/C loads. Non-evacuated thermal collectors radiate more IR heat than evacuated tubes, but solar gain is still reduced. PV panels do radiate IR heat to the roof, and this is mitigated by air circulation that cools the back of the panels. Flat roof PV mounting blocks provide some insulating effect to reduce solar gain.
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7 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
It looks like the modules face south, east & west and points inbetween. They are at a low angle or flat. Mountain View has early morning fog. It seems the system is performing very well, considering the conditions.
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8 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
AMAZING, in a rush, couldn't read all ! I pray everyone has seen the WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR ! I wish Google had looked into my favorite German, Physics Professors Dr & Dr Laing of California : PYRON SOLAR ! PS 122 vs 06 ! prm jr. BLATANT INSTRUCTIONALITY ! Chow ! |
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9 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Kudos to Google for being out in front. The high start-up cost of PV systems as well as the existing infrastructure dictate commercial rather than private development, so a project like this is perfectly appropriate. YOU GO, Google!!
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10 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Fabulous. Let's see more companies and communities embrace technology and renewable energy in the way Google has.
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11 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
It has to be the way of the future ,Im from australia and we are way behind you guys.We have to get off our addiction to oil and coal,oil is running out anyway ,hopefully coal will become reduntant as an energy source.If China sees the rest of the world cleaning its act up ,they may feel pressured to end its coal fired power station construction(currently at TWO going on line a week).USA has to lead the way on this stuff.
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12 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Google has really got their act together. Both the solar panel and plug-in hybrid initative is very forward thinking - just what the country needs to address the looming energy and climate crisis. More corporations need be like Google when it comes to social responsibility and implementing progressive ideas (most are just the opposite). Can someone explain how selling power back to the grid works? Sounds like a great idea, but doesn't it impact the charge held by the car battery (aren't you reducing battery power that you need to drive with?) As a Prius owner, I'm also interested in an affordable plug-in conversion kit - or an affordable plug-in hybrid vehicle that you can actually buy. I simply refuse to buy another car or truck unless it is a plug-in. There is a good site on wiki at http://www.eaa-phev.org and there is a list of plug-in hybrid aftermarket converters at http://www.google.org/recharge/resources.html
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13 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Take note, Architects. Drive to work and plug-in. This should be everywhere. Private money from the likes of Google is paying back the community via clean energy measures. Just the PR alone makes Google worth every penny it earns. Great job, GoogGood.
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14 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Thank you, congratulations, experience is piling up. I am in Belgrade, Serbia and environmentalist looking ho to chanel alternative energy sources. Our estimation is that Solar Energy is very expensive up to now. How to ',ake it cheaper' is our question and any suggestion towards solution will be hihly appreciated and welcome. |
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15 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
It is good to see new systems up and running but, as some have commented, total productions seems to be below what might be expected . Lets give it some time to see results over several months. There is a smaller system (100Kwatt) that publishes its results on the web . They have been up for about 10 months and from my perspective the results are below expectations as well. It sure does change the financial justification numbers if these results are all we should expect. Below is the web site with live data on production from the Toronto site http://view2.fatspaniel.net/FST/Portal/TorontoHorsePalace/ |
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16 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
I would like to know whether the shading effect of solar cells has value , and whether the heat generated by the solar cells is removed somehow or ends up in the roof. I expected to see more space betwen the solar cells and the roof to allow free air flow for cooling, but its hard to see from the pictures.
It would also be nice to see the google energy demand curve against the supply curve on their site to see how good the match is.
Google has the potential to produce a lot of great PR as wella s valuable data as this site matures. |
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17 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Congratulations Google for the forward thinking and mindset that is an example for our national leaders to follow.
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18 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
I would also be very interested to hear about the plug-in mod for the Prius. This must be a major modification, since the standard Prius is not designed to be driven as an electric car. The normal battery is only a small reservoir of power to allow the gasoline engine to be kept in its optimum rev range. This battery is charging and discharging every few minutes during normal driving. In electric-only mode the Prius will only go a few miles at a maximum of 30mph. A huge increase in battery capacity must have been added for the plug-in version but I assume it still runs with the gasoline engine at higher speeds? Does anyone know about this conversion? |
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19 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Congratulations upon the successful completion of this massive PV system! As a Prius owner, I would like to learn the source of the plug-in charger modification. As far as the performance of this system, although the numbers look impressive at 9,900 kWh of energy production for the day, on 19th of June; the system may still need to be fine-tuned a bit. Given that at solar noon the incident angle on the panels is roughly 16 degrees. With the maximum irridiance at 960 w/m*m, one should expect the total peak power to be nearly (9212 * 208 * .9 * .92 * .94 * .96=) 1.43 MW. The registered value was 1.223MW. We may be seeing an unexplained system loss of 14%. This rough calculattion is based on Sharp 208W modules being used through-out the system. Someone might take a closer look at the system installation, or commissioning. |
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20 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Brilliant indeed. Google sets the standard for forward thinking enterprises that can have a huge impact on a superpositive future. The planet is breathing a litttle easier today.
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21 of 35 |
June 20, 2007
Its about time all the big corporates in US and other fossil oil dependent countries start investing in developing Electric cars and also pressurize governments into investing aggressively into development of electric cars. This will stop the flow of money going to foriegn governments and also generate income and jobs in america. People should boycott corporations not ready to invest in renewables and also people should form groups which will openly vote against senetors not implementing renewables like electric cars. Imagine people drive only electric cars in US in another 10 years all the US troops will be back from middleeast and also reduce global warming.
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22 of 35 |
June 21, 2007
I think the biggest benefit from this is that it helps make the cultural shift pushing it closer to a mainstream idea.
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23 of 35 |
June 22, 2007
I think that it´s a great idea and it´s very important that all companies will have an ecology mentality and they will use their installations and buildings in the way of renovable energies.
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24 of 35 |
June 22, 2007
Excellent feat . Having a gigantic Solar installation of 1.6 MW is a unique example in the world and demonstartion of our will to fight and slow down global warming, which is told to be man made.Kudos to Googles I wish as a practicing solar energy scientist, I could join and be a part of these ambitious projects for furthering the cut down in green house gases emissions.
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25 of 35 |
June 23, 2007
Google could go one step farther: work toward making nearby housing available for purchase or rent by employees, reducing the commute distance and resultant energy expenditure.
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26 of 35 |
June 24, 2007
I applaud Google's efforts! Now, let's encourage the rest of corporate America step up to the plate!
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27 of 35 |
June 24, 2007
9468 KWH OF ELECTRICITY GENERATED (ON A CLEAR DAY) $393,000 PROJECTED YEARLY SAVINGS IT WOULD SEEM THEY ARE PAYING (SAVING) 42 CENTS A KWH. AT THAT RATE (ON A GOOD DAY) WE COULD AFFORD A LOT OF SOLAR GEAR. YOU FIGURE. WHO IS KIDDING WHO? THOSE CODERS ARENT TOO SHARP ON THEIR ARITHMATIC. OR PG&E IS REALLY SOCKING IT TO THEM.
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28 of 35 |
June 30, 2007
Arithmatic n. automatic, arithmetic calculator. |
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29 of 35 |
June 30, 2007
See that's what happens when you use a slide rule, dividing $393,000 by 9468 gives 41.5, however that's $41.50, not $0.42, and we also need to divide that by the number of days in a year to get $0.11/kwh.
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30 of 35 |
July 1, 2007
Uh Paul, BJ's Wholesale, Estee Lauder, Kohls, Target, Tiffany & Co., Wal-Mart, and the US Air Force have all gone solar - it's not only environmentally better, it's cheaper too. Prices are expected to come down another 40% in the next three years, and with a little government assistance would drop another 60% after that. And no 40% and 60% won't make them free - it drops them to 24% of todays cost. Solar panel costs have dropped almost 90% in the last thirty years, which is why Google says the panels will pay for themselves in 7 1/2 years. For the next 25 to 30 years after that Google gets free electricity from them. |
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31 of 35 |
July 1, 2007
Only a backward multi-billion dollar coder company would consider the solar solution. If it makes anyone feel any better, the Sun is a giant NIMBY nuclear reactor. Google it.
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32 of 35 |
July 14, 2007
An analysis of the performance of Google's solar plant can be found at: http://www.thinksunsmart.com click on PV performance database |
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33 of 35 |
April 5, 2008
Solar wind and wave powered desalination plants, supplying the needs of self sustaining off the grid coastal communities in west australia in the near future.I hope.
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34 of 35 |
Anonymous
July 6, 2010
While I appreciate all of the efforts that can be made towards renewable energy sources, I'm not so sure that Google is a safe company to trust with regards to its intentions with its technology. A better idea would be to allow the technology to come from non-profit funding rather than a company that stands to benefit from promoting a new world order. It's not comforting to know that with Google earth, pictures can be taken of our living spaces within only feet from our houses, so don't tell me that we can't be video taped live and just a little bit closer with that kind of technology. Not to mention collaboration with the web bot project. Look it up.
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35 of 35 |
July 6, 2010
Oh, and don't say I didn't warn you.
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