Google Cleared to Buy Energy in Bulk

U.S. energy regulators approved a request by Google Inc. to become an electricity marketer, allowing the Internet giant to buy and sell bulk power like a utility.

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The Internet company currently doesn't own generation facilities or transmission lines to deliver power(…) Most electricity marketers are utilities or power generators, but some large power users such as grocer Safeway Inc. and consumer-products maker Kimberly-Clark Corp. have been granted the authority by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Google has said its interest in the power markets stems from a desire to manage its own energy supplies and gain better access to renewable power. The company doesn't provide information on its electricity use, but operates massive networks including large data centers. 

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