Google Drops $5M in German Solar Plant

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Google has invested €3.5 million (roughly $5 million) in a German 18.7-megawatt solar power plant with German-based private equity firm Capital Stage in a small town near Berlin.

It's Google's first investment in clean technology outside of the United States. The search giant is no stranger to pushing clean technology stateside and its investment arm, Google Ventures, has invested in some clean technology companies. The solar power plant occupies around 116 acres and can generate enough power for around 5,000 homes. More than 70 percent of the panels installed at the plant are manufactured in Germany.

Solar power farms use flat photovoltaic panels that absorb sunlight and convert it to electricity. Typical wafer-style solar panels can capture around 30 percent of the sunlight shining on them and convert it into electricity. Flexible, thin-film photovoltaic cells that can be placed on most surfaces can only capture 15 – 20 percent of the sunlight shining on them. One photovoltaic cell typically generates around a watt of power. Solar panels that are seen throughout the world are large collections of photovoltaic cells, usually around 6 inches across each.

The US solar power industry seems to be doing well and is on track to have a good year, but it looks like there is more interest in solar panel technology internationally — particularly in Germany and Japan. That's because a massive surge in residential solar panels in Germany and Japan fueled consumer demand for small-scale solar power projects, according to a report by Pew.

Germany came in second after trailing the United States last year by investing $41.2 billion in clean technology in 2010, double what it invested in 2009, according to the report. Total investments in solar power technology amounted to $79 billion — or 40 percent of all clean technology investments, up 53 percent from 2009.

Tags: solar power

Companies: Capital Stage, Google, Google Ventures

By ERICA GOODE 08 Apr, 2011

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=482c107c67bef86c89ff5af552b2c7e7
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