Google announced a new clean energy partnership in India with ReNew Energy to support a 150-megawatt solar power project in Rajasthan. The deal is part of Google’s broader push to reach net-zero emissions across its operations and value chain, with a special focus on Asia-Pacific, where many of its suppliers are located.
Under the long-term agreement, ReNew Energy is set to develop a new 150MW solar plant in Rajasthan, and Google will receive the environmental attribute certificates (EACs) generated by this project.
These certificates will be allocated to Google’s “scope 3” emissions (the indirect emissions from suppliers and other parts of its value chain), including those that are hard to trace to specific companies in its ecosystem.
Google, in its note authored by Vrushali Gaud, Director, Climate Operations, stated that this was its first practical application of a new framework it recently outlined in a white paper on tackling scope 3 electricity emissions.
The company stresses that the ReNew deal is designed to have “real world” impact in two ways: by financing brand-new clean energy capacity, rather than just buying credits from existing plants, and by directing capital to India, “which has significant energy needs and a rapidly growing grid”.
Google hopes this structure can act as a “market catalyst” and show other global firms how they can credibly address value chain emissions even when they do not have full transparency or detailed data from every supplier.
This Rajasthan project is not Google’s first clean power move in India. The company has already tied up with developers to add 186MW of wind and solar capacity across multiple Indian states.
“These investments will help India continue its recent clean energy progress, including reaching 50 per cent of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, and reflect Google’s commitment to advance and scale a diverse portfolio of carbon-free energy sources in India,” the tech giant added.
