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Innovating sustainable ideas. Growing renewable solutions.

We’re building the world’s most energy-efficient computing infrastructure, while advancing water stewardship, and strengthening energy grids in communities — all driving toward our global goal of net-zero emissions by 2030.

Operating sustainability hero image

Zeroing in on net-zero emissions

Turbines at a windmill farm

A wind farm in Minco, Oklahoma, provides energy to our data center in Mayes County, Oklahoma.

Reducing emissions across our operations and value chain

Data centers are a key part of Google’s journey toward net-zero carbon.

We are actively working on ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from our data center construction by reducing the quantity of materials required to build our data centers as well as using more sustainable materials such as green concrete and renewable diesel in construction activity.

We’re leading the charge by pursuing net zero across our own operations and value chain.

Optimizing water use and innovation at our data centers

Taking a climate-conscious approach to cooling our facilities

Similar to personal computers, the servers in data centers generate heat and need to be cooled in order to operate safely and efficiently. Water cooling is an energy-efficient way to remove heat, and is often a more sustainable option compared to other energy-intensive cooling methods such as chillers or air conditioning. At each data center campus, our cooling decisions look at the local environment — balancing the availability of carbon-free energy and responsibly-sourced water, including alternatives to freshwater — to minimize the net climate impact both today and in the future.

Storage tanks on top of a data center with the sun setting in the background

A sunset over St. Ghislain, Belgium, illuminates our water storage tanks and cooling towers.

Building a more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy system for all

Wind turbines in the ground above a data center overlooking in the ocean

Wind turbines spin near our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center.

We are driving sustainable load growth as a leader, innovator, and collaborator

As electrification, industrial growth, and digitalization create benefits for economies and communities around the world — including Google products and services — they’re also creating new electricity demand. Meeting this demand with reliable, affordable, and clean power is one of our greatest challenges — and opportunities.

We're committed to responsibly managing our data center energy consumption and leveraging our capital, expertise, and technology to enhance the energy ecosystem. We see Google's growing infrastructure as both catalytic to the 21st century economy and the transformation of the electricity system, providing benefits across communities and electrical grids where we operate. Now is the moment to build a better energy system for the future and for everyone.

Leading the industry in energy-efficient data centers

We strive to build the world’s most energy-efficient computing infrastructure so we can power more searches and products with less energy. Google data centers are among the most efficient in the world because of AI, installing smart temperature and lighting controls, redesigning how power is distributed to reduce energy loss, and other site-specific innovations and collaborations.

Wind turbines in the sea with the sun setting behind them

Windmills at the Norther Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium, our first offshore wind power purchase agreement (PPA).

Continuous improvement
84%

In 2024, Google data centers used 84% less overhead energy than the industry average.

Average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) for all Google data centers

Our data centers are among the most efficient in the world with our fleet-wide PUE dropping significantly since we first started reporting our numbers in 2008.

Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)  graph showing quarterly PUE dropping from around 1.23 to 1.13 over time from 2008 to 2024

Frequently asked questions

View the full FAQ

I see a lot of references to net-zero emissions and carbon-free energy. What's the difference?

In 2021, we set an ambition to reach net-zero emissions across all of our operations and value chain by 2030. To meet this ambition, we aim to reduce over time our absolute, combined scope 1, 2 (market-based), and 3 emissions by 50% from a 2019 base year, and we plan to invest in a range of carbon removal solutions to neutralize our remaining emissions.

A component of this moonshot is another ambition — running on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid where we operate by 2030.

While we’re still committed to these climate moonshots, it’s become clear that achieving them is now more complex and challenging across every level — from local to global. Several external factors, largely outside our direct control, could affect the cost, feasibility, and timeline of our progress — and navigating them requires flexibility. To maintain momentum toward our climate moonshots, we’ll continue to evaluate a broad range of solutions, balancing cost, quality, and the speed of emissions reductions.

How does Google incorporate climate action into your energy usage?

Google is one of the world’s largest corporate buyers of clean energy and leaders in advancing clean energy technologies. In 2017, Google became the first major company to match 100% of our annual electricity consumption on a global basis with renewable energy, which we’ve achieved every year since. And in 2024, we signed contracts to purchase approximately 8 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy generation capacity — more than in any prior year in our history.

Building on our first two decades of progress, in 2020 we launched our third decade of climate action — our most ambitious yet. We have set a moonshot to reach net-zero emissions across all of our operations and value chain by 2030, supported by another climate moonshot to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) on every grid where we operate.

We also strive to build the world’s most energy-efficient computing infrastructure, supported by responsible water use practices and a commitment to minimizing waste. Our data centers remain some of the most efficient in the world, and we continue working to optimize their use of electricity, water, and materials. In 2024, the average annual power usage effectiveness (PUE) for our global fleet of data centers was 1.09, compared with the industry average of 1.56 — meaning that Google data centers used about 84% less overhead energy for every unit of IT equipment energy.

For more details, check out our latest Environmental Report.

How do you buy clean energy?

We buy electricity directly from new clean energy projects through various methods depending on the market, including: contracting directly via long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs); working with utilities or developers to buy and deliver carbon-free energy (CFE); structuring energy supply contracts with energy providers; and making targeted investments in renewable energy to enable additional projects on the grid. See the 2025 Environmental Report for more information.

Who do you collaborate with?

Google is committed to being an active member in the communities we call home. Close collaboration with community leaders, local utilities, and local organizations is a priority for us to identify opportunities for meaningful community and global support.

How do your data center energy needs impact your carbon footprint?

Scaling AI and using it to accelerate climate action are just as crucial as addressing the environmental impact associated with it. To help minimize our environmental footprint, we’ve built world-leading efficient infrastructure for the AI era and use tested practices to reduce the carbon footprint of workloads.

Why do data centers use water?

Water plays an important role in our data centers — cooling our servers, regulating indoor temperatures, and keeping our products up and running. In fact, water cooling has been shown to help reduce energy consumption and related carbon emissions when compared to air-based cooling. While it will take more time for electricity grids to decarbonize, we’ll continue using water cooling to improve our energy efficiency in certain geographies. Recognizing that this tradeoff will increase our data center water footprint, we’re prioritizing responsible water use and water replenishment at new sites from the start.

Infographic describing how water is used in data centers

Infographic describing how water is used in data centers

How does Google define responsible water use?

In consultation with a team of water experts, Google developed a peer-reviewed, context-based Water Risk Framework to evaluate local watershed risk at new sites to guide decision-making on whether to use a freshwater source for evaporative cooling.

What is water replenishment?

Google aims to “return” or improve the water quality and ecosystem health in the watersheds and communities where we operate through investments in water stewardship projects.