The aerial view reveals the mutual benefits of combining solar energy production and agricultural land use. Farmers can lease their land to solar developers, diversifying their incomes while maintaining agricultural activities in the remaining areas. This symbiotic relationship supports sustainable development by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources.
Shih-wei | E+ | Getty Images
Google will partner with BlackRock to develop a 1 gigawatt pipeline of new solar capacity in Taiwan, the US tech giant said Monday in a press release, as it seeks to boost energy capacity and reduce carbon emissions amid the artificial intelligence boom.
The deal will see Google make an equity investment, which has yet to be approved by regulators, in Taiwanese solar developer New Green Power “to facilitate the construction of its large-scale solar pipeline.”
Google did not disclose how much it is investing in New Green Power, a BlackRock holding company.
The investment will boost clean energy in Taiwan’s local power grid and help Google achieve its goal of achieving net zero emissions across its operations and value chain by 2030, the company said.
The new solar capacity will help power Google’s data centers and cloud region in Taiwan, the press release said. Some of the clean energy capacity will also be offered to Google’s suppliers and chipmakers in the region, it said.
“We expect to source up to 300 [megawatts] solar power from this pipeline through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and related energy performance certificates (Taiwan Renewable Energy Certificates or T-RECS) to help meet the electricity demand from the data center campus, cloud area and our office operations in Taiwan,” Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s global head of data center energy, said in a suspension on Monday.
Taiwan produces nearly 60% of the world’s semiconductor chips and accounts for an even greater share of advanced AI processors, according to global consultancy EY. Chip manufacturing facilities are among the most energy-intensive facilities in the world, as chip manufacturing is a long and complex process.
However, about 97% of Taiwan’s energy comes from non-renewable sources, including coal and natural gas, according to data from the Energy Administration under the Ministry of Finance of Taiwan.
This calls for the need to boost renewable energy sources.
“As we see demand for digital services, powered by AI and data-centric technologies, it becomes imperative to invest in clean energy,” said David Giordano, head of global climate infrastructure at BlackRock.
Singapore in May said it was pushing for green data centers as exploding demand for artificial intelligence puts pressure on energy resources. The aim is to provide at least 300 megawatts of additional power in the short term, with more through “green energy development”, the government said.
Renewable energy development in Asia Pacific is growing strongly but from a low base, a Boston Consulting Group report on April 23 showed. By 2030, renewable energy is projected to account for 30% to 50% of the energy mix in most markets in the region, the report said, adding that “significant investments” are needed.
