Google plans huge 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's electricity on a hot summer day.

"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.

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.

David Radcliffe, vice president of real estate at Google, said concern about the environment as well as the rising price of electricity motivated the company to go solar.

"Google is so committed to advancing green technology throughout the workplace," Radcliffe said. "If we can dispel the myth along the way that you can't be green and profitable at the same time, that's another benefit."

The company 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.

Google's system will produce enough power to supply 1,000 average California homes.

Radcliffe declined to say how much the solar installation would cost but said that the energy would pay for itself after 10 years.