Google opens its Bay View HQ, the first campus it designed itself

Google has finally opened its Bay View campus to employees almost 10 years after revealing its initial plans for the new facility back in 2013. It’s the first Google campus the company has developed itself, and it definitely doesn’t look like the traditional offices you’re used to. One of the first things you’ll probably notice about the new HQ, for instance, is its roof that looks like dragonscales from afar. 

This “dragonscale skin” design is actually made up of 90,000 silver solar panels capable of generating almost seven megawatts of energy, or up to 40 percent of the new offices’ energy needs. Wind farms nearby will also provide the energy needed to run the all-electric HQ that has two kitchens equipped with electric equipment instead of gas. In addition, the campus has automated window shades to let a lot of natural lighting in during the day and a ventilation system that uses 100 percent outside air. 

The new campus also houses the largest geothermal installation in North America that will help heat and cool the campus without the use of fossil fuels. It even reduces the amount of water used for cooling by 90 percent. This geothermal pile system uses pumps to absorb heat from the ground during wintertime and to send heat into the ground in the summer.

Google only recently started transitioning its workforce to a hybrid work schedule that would require employees to work in its offices a few times a week. The Bay View HQ’s natural lighting, greenery and wide open spaces could help make the transition easier for people who’ve been working from home these past two years. 

Amazon 擴大再生能源使用,在全球打造數十個新的風力和太陽能發電計畫

在世界地球日前夕,Amazon 公佈了將在全球投資 37 個新的再生能源計畫。這將使 Amazon 旗下的再生能源裝置容量由 12.2GW 增加到了 15.7GW,差不多提高了 30% 之多。

Amazon’s latest renewable energy projects include its largest solar farm to date

Just ahead of Earth Day on Friday, Amazon has announced investments in 37 more renewable energy projects around the world. The company says these will increase its renewable energy capacity by almost 30 percent, up from 12.2 gigawatts to 15.7 GW.

The company claims the new investments will help it to power its operations entirely with renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the original timeline. The latest projects are in the US, Spain, France, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. They include wind farms, solar farms and eight solar rooftop installations on Amazon buildings. A 500 MW solar farm in Texas will be Amazon’s largest renewable energy project to date in terms of capacity.

Amazon has now invested in 310 projects in 19 countries. It says that when they’re all up and running, they’ll generate enough energy to power 3.9 million homes. The quantity of carbon-free energy they’ll generate will help avoid 17.3 million metric tons of emissions each year — the equivalent of taking more than 3.7 million combustion engine cars off roads.

In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge, a vow to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. That’s 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement’s deadline. Along the more than 300 signatories that have joined the pledge are Microsoft, IBM and Best Buy.

Amazon said it will invest $2 billion into decarbonization efforts through the Climate Pledge Fund. Along with the accelerated timeline for fully switching to renewable energy, Amazon aims to make its shipments net-zero carbon. It hopes to be halfway to that goal by 2030 and to help it get there, the company placed an order with Rivian for 100,000 electric delivery vehicles.