Google opens campus with 90 solar panels in the USA

O Google opened, this Tuesday (17), in California (USA), a new campus with around 90 thousand painéis solares and which, together, can generate up to 7 MW of power. 

This is enough volume to supply up to 40% of the energy demand of the company's new offices – which aims to achieve carbon neutrality through renewable sources by 2030. Nearby wind farms will also help power the site. 

To get the plant up and running, we sought to maximize the amount of solar energy that the building could capture. In this sense, the company explains that it was necessary to think beyond traditional rectangular solar panels to create something that balanced the form and function of the space.

From this premise, the project began, with the sunroof being designed in the shape of a kind of “dragon scale”. The model consists of panels capable of generating energy for an extended period of the day, as they can capture sunlight from various angles. 

“The solar roof is the result of years of product development, collaboration with many partners and analysis of prototypes from manufacturers across Europe. It wasn’t easy,” explained Asim Tahir, district and renewable energy lead at Google.

In total, the internal area of ​​Google's new campus is divided into spaces for meetings and collaboration between teams and more sound-protected spaces so that employees' focus on work is preserved. 

The site was built based on a request from the company's own employees and also has other sustainable solutions, in addition to solar panels. One of them, for example, is the use of a geothermal system that helps heat and cool the campus. 

With the initiative, it is possible to reduce the amount of water normally used to cool the environment by 90%, which is equivalent to almost 20 million liters of water per year, according to Google.