Aerial imagery reveals the mutual benefits of combining solar energy production with agricultural land use: farmers can diversify their income sources by leasing land to solar energy developers and maintain agricultural activities on the remaining land. This symbiotic relationship supports sustainable development by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the adoption of renewable energies.
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Google The US tech giant said on Monday it is partnering with BlackRock to develop 1 gigawatt of new solar power capacity in Taiwan, as it aims to boost energy capacity and reduce carbon emissions amid an artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
The deal, pending regulatory approval, will see Google make an equity investment in Taiwanese solar developer NuGreen Power to “accelerate the buildout of a large-scale solar power pipeline.”
Google did not disclose the size of its investment in New Green Power, a BlackRock portfolio company.
The company said the investment will boost clean energy in Taiwan's local power grid and help Google reach its goal of achieving net-zero emissions across all its operations and value chain by 2030.
The new solar capacity will help power Google's data centers and cloud areas in Taiwan, according to a press release. Some of the clean energy capacity will also be provided to Google's chip suppliers and manufacturers in the region.
“We plan to procure up to 300 units. [megawatts] “Google will procure solar energy from this pipeline through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and associated energy attribute certificates (Taiwan Renewable Energy Certificates, or T-RECS) to meet the electricity demand from our Taiwan data center campuses, cloud regions and Taiwan office operations,” Amanda Peterson Corio, Google's global head of data center energy, said in a blog post on Monday.
Taiwan produces about 60% of the world's semiconductor chips and an even larger share of advanced AI processors, according to global consulting firm EY. Chip manufacturing is a long and complex process, making chip manufacturing facilities some of the world's largest consumers of energy.
However, about 97% of Taiwan's energy is produced from non-renewable resources such as coal and natural gas, according to data from the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs' Bureau of Energy.
This will require increased renewable energy sources.
“Growing demand for digital services powered by AI and data-driven technologies makes clean energy investments essential,” said David Giordano, global head of climate infrastructure at BlackRock.
Singapore said in May it was promoting green data centers as exploding demand for artificial intelligence (AI) puts strain on its energy resources. The goal is to provide at least 300 megawatts of additional capacity in the near future, and to increase that through “green energy deployment,” the government said.
Renewable energy development in Asia-Pacific is growing strongly but from a low base, according to an April 23 report from the Boston Consulting Group. By 2030, renewables are projected to make up 30% to 50% of the energy mix in most markets in the region, the report said, adding that “significant investments” are needed.
