Google’s future is green

Google might be a privacy watchdog’s worst nightmare, but give the Mountain View company this much credit: It puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to protecting the environment.

Google announced this week that it will give $1 million in grants to promote use of plug-in hybrids — vehicles that run primarily on electricity but also use gas, and which can get as much as 100 miles per gallon.


The company also said it’s dedicating an additional $10 million to developing this technology and, on Monday, activated the largest solar-power installation on a U.S. corporate campus, capable of generating enough juice to meet about a third of the power needed for Google’s headquarters.

The grants and investments are being made through the company’s philanthropic arm, Google.org.

SF Chronicle