Google seems to be the do-gooder of the season with its recent $12 million investment in a South African solar project that is capable of generating more than enough electricity to power 30,000 homes there.
Long story short, Google has invested in a 96 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant, the Jasper Power Project, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This will roll out goodies like 300 construction and 50 permanent jobs in the much stagnant region, along with education and rural development with $26 million set aside for socio-economic development.
Google's blog has reasoned that they pursued this investment due to South Africa's abundant wind and solar resources and supportive policies for renewable energy. The firm also said that this was a transformative opportunity as the nation has a goal of generating 18 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030 through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP). The program will guide energy projects to compete on a basis of cost and contribution to local economy that will be awarded a contract with the state-owned energy provider Eskom.
Jasper Power Project will be one of the largest solar plants in Africa thanks to funding from SolarReserve, Intikon Energy and the Kensani Group, Rand Merchant Bank, the Public Investment Corporation, Development Bank of South Africa and the PEACE Humansrus Trust. Google has committed over $1 billion so far to renewable energy investments in the U.S., Europe and now Africa.
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