Google invests in Shepherds Flat wind farm development

Google’s co-investors in the project are Sumitomo Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, and Tyr Energy, a subsidiary of Itochu Corporation, both of which have experience in power projects.

When completed in 2012, the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm will produce 845MW of power that will be sold under long-term agreements to Southern California Edison.

The wind farm, which is being developed by Caithness Energy, will use turbines from GE, which will also provide operations and maintenance support. When it is completed, the land-based wind farm is projected to be the largest in the world.

This project brings Google’s total investment into clean energy to more than $350m, including its most recent investments in a German solar photovoltaic plant and in the BrightSource Ivanpah solar power tower — the largest solar energy project in the world.