According to the Internet search giant, the project, which is currently under construction, is anticipated to be the largest wind farm in the world when all is said and done.
The facility, which is located near windy Arlington, Oregon, is expected to be completed in 2012 and 2ill produce 845 MW of energy.
“That’s a lot of wind,” wrote Rick Needham, Google’s Director of Green Business Operations. “Enough to power more than 235,000 homes.”
In his post Needham said the project is exciting to Google not only because of its size and scale, but also because it uses advanced technology.
“This will be the first commercial wind farm in the US to deploy, at scale, turbines that use permanent magnet generators—tech-speak for evolutionary turbine technology that will improve efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities,” Needham wrote. “Though the technology has been installed outside the US, it’s an important, incremental step in lowering the cost of wind energy over the long term in the [country].”
Although the project is located in Oregon, the electricity produced at Shepherds Flat will be sold under long term agreements to Southern California Edison.
Google’s partners in the project include wind farm developer Caithness Energy, and General Electric, which was an early investor in Shepherds Flat as well as the turbine manufacturer and operations and maintenance supplier.
Other investors include Sumitomo Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, and Tyr Energy, a subsidiary of ITOCHU Corporation, both of which have deep experience in power projects.
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