Google Buys Second Texas Wind Farm for $75 Million

“It sure is windy in Texas," Google shared on its blog. "So windy, in fact, that we’ve made another wind energy investment there."

The Internet giant finalized a deal in late December to invest $75 million in the Panhandle 2 wind farm in Carson County, outside of Amarillo.

“The 182 Megawatt facility, developed by Pattern Energy Group LP, has the capacity to generate enough renewable energy to power 56,000 U.S. homes,” Nick Coons, Google’s Renewable Energy principal, said.

Google finalized a deal in late December to invest $75 million in the Panhandle 2 wind farm in Carson County, outside of Amarillo. The facility has the capacity to generate energy for 56,000 homes. (AP/Stephan Savoia)

Google has now invested in 15 renewable energy companies, showing interest in both wind and solar systems. Roughly this time one year ago Google announced a $200 million investment in the Spinning Spur wind farm, and has indicated is purchasing Texas Wind from the Happy Hereford wind farm.

Coons says the purchases are “part of our goal of operating on 100 percent renewable energy. These efforts reflect our long-standing commitment to renewable energy as both an investor and a consumer.”

The purchase is Google's 15th green energy investment. The company says it is committed to running on 100-percent renewable energy. (AP)

Companies who own and operate wind farms incorporate renewable energy into the local power grids, which are powered by a mix of natural gas, coal, nuclear and other sources,

Texas leads the nation in wind energy, reports the Dallas Business Journal. Through the first 11 months of 2013, wind turbines generated more than 30 million MW of electricity, 11 percent of the state's power, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The news of the wind farm purchase comes just one day after Google announced its acquisition of the home efficiency company Nest, for $3.2 Billion.

Google expects the Panhandle 2 facility to be operational by the end of 2014.

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