Google asks you to be a copycat, not in search, but saving earth.We hope corporate America is paying attention. We want to see a lot of copycats' of this project, Radcliffe said, After just revealing plans to install what some say is the nation's largest corporate solar project. Google plans to put about 9,200 solar panels on six buildings at its Mountain View headquarters by next spring. The project, which will be built by San Rafael-based EI Solutions, will produce up to 1.6 megawatts of electricity -- or enough to supply 30 percent of the campus' electricity on a hot summer day. Or just be able to power about 1000 normal households.
'That would be the record for a solar installation,' said Noah Kaye, spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The announcement comes as Silicon Valley hosts the largest solar industry gathering in U.S. history and at a time when companies and government agencies are seeking cost-effective ways to ensure reliable electrical power.
Google seems to be beating Microsost even in this endevour, it is 1.6 MW against 0.480MW! Microsoft's Silicon Valley campus, for instance, flipped the switch on a 480-kilowatt solar-panel system earlier this year. The Santa Clara Valley Water District and Cypress Semiconductor of Sunnyvale also have large solar-panel installations in Silicon Valley.
Industry experts said recent threats of rolling power blackouts along with state-funded economic incentives are pushing solar's popularity.
in addition to this solar power conversion, Google has also installed motion sensors in rooms to turn lights on and off; serves only organic foods in its cafeterias and provides a commuter shuttle that removes hundreds of cars from the road each day, Radcliffe said.
