Google invests $12m in South African solar farm

Google is set to invest $12 million (£7.89m) in a solar power plant that will be built in South Africa’s Northern Cape. When complete, the Jasper Power project will have […]

Google is set to invest $12 million (£7.89m) in a solar power plant that will be built in South Africa’s Northern Cape.

When complete, the Jasper Power project will have 96MW of total capacity – capable of generating enough electricity to power 30,000 homes. It is also expected to create around 300 construction and 50 permanent jobs in the region.

In a statement on its site, the search engine giant said: “South Africa’s strong resources and supportive policies for renewable energy make it an attractive place to invest—which is why it had the highest growth in clean energy investment in the world last year. We look for projects that have transformative potential — that is, projects that will bolster the growth of the renewable energy industry and move the world closer to a clean energy future. The Jasper Power Project is one of those transformative opportunities.”

The South African Government has set a goal of generating 18GW of renewable energy by 2030. Google claims it has invested more than $1 billion (£0.66bn) in renewable energy investments across the world.

Last week Google bought a US start-up energy firm and previously invested in a wind farm in Oldham County in west Texas and in Greene County in mid-west America.

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