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Google recently opened a new campus in the US that uses solar energy and other sustainable sources to generate electricity. The plant's differential is that its 90 installed solar panels were manufactured in the shape of 'dragon scales'.
Last May, Google inaugurated its new campus in California, which was named Bay View, being the company's newest project towards its goal of fully decarbonizing its energy consumption by the beginning of the next decade. The roof is covered by painéis solares that form dragon scales and in all, more than 90 photovoltaic solar panels were used, produced especially for the project and which look more like solar tiles than the traditional rectangular panels installed in businesses and homes.
Google campus balances beauty with sustainability
According to one of those responsible for the Google project, Asim Tahir, the objective was to balance solar energy generation with aesthetics, which only happened due to the collaboration with partners and various manufacturers for the development of new equipment and solar panels.
The result was a roof of solar energy with an innovative design, making it possible for solar panels to capture sunlight from different angles, thus expanding their energy yield for longer throughout the day.
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Google's solar roof, with almost 7 MW of installed power, is capable of supplying up to 40% of Bay View's energy consumption, which will also have part of its power supplied by wind farms that will be installed close to the campus. In this way, around 90% of the electricity that will be consumed by Google's new headquarters can be met by these clean energy sources, according to a company statement.
In addition to solar energy, Google Campus has other sustainable systems
The giant search company is just one of the world's largest companies that are investing in solar energy as one of the corporate sustainability practices aligned with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles.
Other great examples of companies that are also focusing on solar energy are Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Magazine Luiza, Mercado Livre and Renner.
In addition to generating renewable energy with solar panels, the bay view campus has several other innovations focused on sustainability, such as a rainwater collection system and bioclimatic architecture to take advantage of ventilation and natural lighting, practices that can even generate a discount on IPTU for Brazilian consumers who live in cities with a green IPTU program.
Google starts to adopt more sustainable practices
A few years ago, Google adopted some sustainability practices, one of which is the mobility program for its employees. Another includes walking, cycling or even carpooling to work. It was found that these efforts can generate a reduction of 10 thousand tons of CO2 emitted per year.
Google offices are developed to have several strategies regarding water and energy savings. Heaters and air conditioners are designed to consume as little electricity as possible. Furthermore, these places are created from toxin-free materials. During the sales process, full transparency on the materials used is required.
The company works closely with government and institutional research on prohibited substances in construction materials. Google is always experimenting with new technology at its facilities. The installation of one of the largest corporate solar panels in Mountain View is an example of this.
The company also purchased renewable energy from solar and wind power at competitive prices, helping wind producers expand their green efforts.
