Notes: According to this Forbes article, Google is not just investing billions into clean energy projects to feel good and make its employees happy.  Google is doing this because it is a smart investment for the company.  

Even when you factor in fracking reducing the price of natural gas for many regions, the pricing still favors renewables.

The central reason is the energy source.  The renewable industry centers around producing innovative technologies—efficient turbines, solar panels—to harvest limitless natural resources. The fossil industry revolves around existing technology to tap limited resources that are much harder to extract. Hence, fossil fuels tend to be more volatile in price. (Think of it: you wake up because of the sun every day, not because of the stench from a passing methane cloud.)

Key facts for Google:

* 49% of the 2012 newly installed electricity in the U.S. was renewable. 10GW of the new electricity, or 40%, came from wind. More electricity was installed from wind than natural gas last year in the U.S. Wind outpaced coal by two times.

* The percentage of time that wind turbines are active has now hit 50 percent, thanks to better site selection and improved turbine efficiency. In the past, this percentage for turbines was 30%. Wind farms in Midwest optimal sites produce power for 5 cents a kilowatt hour, and that's before federal tax credits.

* U.S. Solar plant energy costs dropped 28% in the past year. Solar panels have dropped in price by 80 percent over the last five years.

* Solar will soon be at cost parity in many markets in the world. Parity is now here in Italy, Spain and Australia.

* Google's data centers use half as much power as conventional ones. It saved over $1 billion in energy costs through data center initiatives.

If Google sees the future in renewals and is investing heavily in green technology, when will you and your local utility make the same commitment?

Image source: Brian Ettling