Matt Leducq

CUSTOMER CASE STUDY

Google Innovative Solar Energy Design from EI Solutions Powers the Googleplex EI Solutions’ 1.6 megawatt solar campus saves the tech leader over $390K annually and helps Google build a bright future.

SAVINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS LOCATION:

Mountain View, California

SYSTEM SIZE:

1.6 MW

ENERGY OUTPUT:

2,611,719 kWh per year

SAVINGS:

$393,000+ annually

RESULTS:

CO2 emissions reduced by 3.6 million pounds per year, (equivalent to 4.28 million car miles/year)

MODULE TYPE:

Sharp ND-208U1

NO. OF MODULES:

10,330 (rooftops and carports)

PITCH ANGLE:

Varies by installation

COVERAGE:

200,000 square feet

“Google values the time our people spend here on our campus,” says Robyn Beavers, leader of Corporate Environmental Programs for the Internet’s leading automated search technology company. “Our Googlers invest themselves heart and soul, and it’s important to the company to make sure they’re appreciated with a beautiful and appealing environment. It’s not a traditional corporate campus. It’s more of a home—healthy, clean, and attractive. We want the best for our people. We look at clean solar energy as an amenity that helps us meet that standard. So we’re very pleased with the solar energy installation built for us by E¡ Solutions.” Ten thousand people strong and still growing, Google’s headquarters—the Googleplex—offered some daunting construction challenges for a solar contractor. Johann Niehaus, E¡ Solutions’ Director of Project Engineering, was putting it mildly when he called it “an unusual project.” There were installations on six existing buildings, some of which were two decades old and needed re-roofing before the solar construction, plus new construction of photovoltaic parking canopies, all in a distributed layout. “We had to approach it building-by-building,” Johann says, “accounting for different

roof types, various pitch angles, different orientations of the buildings, and unique shading problems that all had to be factored in to the design.” No Injuries, No Interruptions With their own rapid growth and performance uppermost in mind, Google asked E¡ Solutions to pass another unusual test: meet the deadline with no interruptions, and work on Google’s round-the-clock schedule. Matt LeDucq, E¡ Solutions’ on-site Construction Manager, remembers, “The task was to design and install the entire project—7,830 modules and tens of thousands of feet of wire and rail, all loaded onto the various roofs, plus 2,500 more on carports in the parking lot—with minimal disturbance. We put together a great team of subcontractors, and did about 30% of the module installations on a graveyard shift to minimize the disruptions to Google’s day-to-day work. And we had no injuries. That’s always paramount for us. Google was very attentive to communicating the project goals and status internally so their people knew what was happening. It was eleven months from the drawing board to going live, with no significant problems.”

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CUSTOMER CASE STUDY

Google A New Angle on Solar Success “I think we offered a fresh approach to the project that meshed with Google’s needs and values,” Johann Niehaus says. “Some companies specialize in a single method or technology. We ask, what’s required to make solar work for this client? We examine every option and design a solution that fits the specific requirements, gets past the obstacles, and suits the client’s needs.” Robyn Beavers concurs: “What Google liked most about E¡ Solutions was that they weren’t bound by a proprietary technology or method. We felt they could be as innovative and flexible as we are. It was a good blend of cultures.”

“Some companies specialize in a single method or technology. We ask, what’s required to make it work? We examine every option and design a solution that fits the specific requirements, gets past the obstacles, and suits the client’s needs.” JOHANN NIEHAUS DIRECTOR OF PROJECT ENGINEERING , EI SOLUTIONS

how proud they were that we were generating solar electricity. Other companies are calling us to find out how we did it, and to learn from our experience.”

“What Google liked most about EI Solutions was that they weren’t bound by a proprietary technology or method. We felt they could be as innovative and flexible as we are. It was a good blend of cultures.” ROBYN BEAVERS HEAD OF CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS , GOOGLE

E¡ Solutions E¡ Solutions can help you get all the advantages of a customized solar electricity solution. We match your goal with our proven skills, experience, integrity and versatility to ensure a no-hitches installation, the maximum and earliest return on your investment, and reliability engineered to the highest standard. Our comprehensive planning and execution process begins with a thorough assessment of your needs and potential. Through design, engineering, sourcing, finance, installation and maintenance, we tailor our efforts to suit the unique requirements and opportunities of your site, your company or institution. We can help you navigate the Federal, state and municipal incentives processes; design a net cash flow that’s positive from the first day; and source the best suppliers and components to maximize the return you receive. Our aim is a turnkey solution that delivers all the immediate and long-term financial and environmental benefits of clean solar energy to you, and exceeds your long-term aspirations.

An Added Benefit to Solar

Contact us today and let EI Solutions put the sun to work for you. “At Google, we love innovative technology,” Robyn concludes, “and we like getting our hands dirty and trying new ideas. Solar is another way for Google to innovate, and also to be part of the solution in taking care of the environment. It makes business sense as well. We got great financial incentives through our utility, and a Federal investment tax credit. With nearly $400,000 a year in savings, the system will pay for itself in about 7.5 years, and after that, the energy we generate will be profit. There’s been another payoff, too. We want to attract the smartest people in the world, and this has been a boost to morale and recruiting. The day our array went live, I got dozens of emails from Googlers around our campus telling me

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General and Electrical Contractor—License 851879

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