Tech giant Google has announced an ambitious plan to commit to sustainability and tackle climate change — for its data centres worldwide to operate on carbon-free electricity in the near future.

In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that as of Sep. 14, the company had "eliminated [its] entire carbon legacy".

Sundar said Google has made up for its lifetime carbon footprint via the "purchase of high-quality carbon offsets".

An example of carbon offsetting can be investing in sustainable projects supporting renewable energy or reforestation to compensate for one's energy consumption.

Now, Google has plans to go even further, with the aim of operating solely, 24/7, on "carbon-free electricity" by 2030.

Carbon-free electricity 24/7

Google claims to be the first major firm to do this.

Since 2017, the firm has been matching its annual electricity consumption with 100 per cent renewable energy.

Sundar said:

"Our data centers power the products and services you’ve come to rely on every day. This will mean 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."

Although renewable energy like wind and solar have certain limitations — such as not being available at all times, locations or climates — Sundar said that technology and improvements in government policies have made it possible for Google to source reliable clean energy.

Some ways to source for this clean energy would be to pair wind and solar energy together, or apply artificial intelligence to help optimise electricity demand and forecasting.

These efforts will create an estimated 12,000 jobs by 2025 as well.

Locally-sourced clean energy

Google's Singapore branch will be stepping up its sustainability efforts as well.

The firm signed a multi-year deal with Sembcorp for them to provide a total energy solution. This involves focusing on locally sourced renewable energy to support the local branch's operations.

Excess energy from solar panels installed on 500 HDB blocks will be directed to support Google's operations via this private collaboration with Sembcorp.

This renewable energy deal is the first of its kind for Google in Southeast Asia, according to the Managing Director, Southeast Asia at Google, Stephanie Davis.

The press release read:

"The deal is pioneering the seamless integration of solar power directly into an existing power supply, which Sembcorp and Google hope is a positive first step towards making renewable energy more widely accessible for all Singaporean energy users in the future."

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