Google sets carbon-free energy goal for 2030

Google on Monday said it wants to use 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030 across its data centres and campuses globally, a goal the Internet giant describes as its “biggest sustainability moonshot yet, with enormous practical and technical complexity”.

On announcing the carbon-free ambition, Google also said the company’s lifetime net carbon footprint has been brought to zero as of Monday. The search engine major has purchased high-quality carbon offsets to eliminate its carbon legacy.

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Google became carbon neutral in 2007 and 10 years later, in 2017, it matched its energy use with 100% renewable energy. Going completely carbon-free will be far more challenging, CEO Sundar Pichai admits, but Google has 10 years to achieve the new goal.

“Not long ago, it was hard to imagine a 24/7 carbon-free electricity supply—at a simple level, the wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t shine at night. But thanks to trends in technology, and with the right government policies, the promise of 24/7 clean energy will soon be within reach,” Pichai said. Google plans to combine wind and solar and use more battery storage. It will also seek ways to optimise electricity demand and forecasting with the help of AI.

In line with its commitment to sustainability, Google will also help partners and organisations reduce their carbon footprint and remove carbon from the atmosphere, enable 5 GW of new carbon-free energy in its key manufacturing regions by 2030 through investment, and continue to seek new ways for its products to support the users' sustainable choices.