Google makes US$75m investment in Iowa wind farm

15 Nov 2012

Google has made an equity investment of US$75m in a 50MW wind farm in Rippey, Iowa, bringing the company’s investment in the renewable energy sector to more than US$990m.

Google announced today via its blog that it had invested in the wind farm, which is located in a small town by the name of Rippey in Green County, Iowa.

The internet giant already operates a data centre in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but the energy generated from the wind farm won’t be used to power up the data centre.

The 50MW wind farm has been developed by RPM Access, an independent wind developer in Iowa, and it is already in operation. The wind project has the capacity to produce enough energy to power more than 15,000 homes.

Power generated by the wind farm has been purchased by the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, which will deliver the energy to local consumers.

It’s not the first time Google has invested in Iowa’s wind energy sector. In 2010, Google entered into a 20-year deal with NextEra Energy Resources to purchase renewable energy from NextEra’s Story II wind farm in Iowa.

Axel Martinez, head of Capital Markets at Google, said this latest wind-farm investment will bring Google’s investment to the renewable energy sector to more than US$990m.

Nick Coons and Steffi Russell-Egbert, members of Google's investment team, pictured visiting the Rippey project in Iowa in October

Nick Coons and Steffi Russell-Egbert, members of Google’s investment team, visit the Rippey project in Iowa in October. Image via Google

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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