Google is known for being the biggest Internet search engine in the world. Recently, however, Google has been trying to shed its image as an Internet giant, instead emphasizing its support for green, alternative energies.

The company's executives admitted that they use extreme but necessary amounts of energy in order to transfer data from data centers to computers. Since 2011, however, Google has been working to make some changes to compensate for their high-energy usage.

To date, Google has invested more than one billion dollars in 15 energy projects that may one day produce more than two gigawatts of power around the world per year.

On Feb. 13, one of Google’s investments in the Mojave Desert officially went online. The plant in Ivanpah, Calif. uses 347,000 sun-facing mirrors to produce more than 390 megawatts of electricity—enough to supply power for more than 140,000 homes in Southern California.

Google is not the only company that invested in this project in Ivanpah; Brightsource and NRG energy companies also invested money into the solar power generating plant. 

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"The renewable clean energy [that the solar plant] produces is akin to removing 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide which is like taking 72,000 vehicles off the roads," said Jeff Holland, director of communication for the NRG Solar company.

The plant works by the reflecting sunlight on computer generated mirrors onto a water-circulating tower. The water boils under the intense heat and generates steam, which then turns turbines to generate electricity.

The Ivanpah plant is considered the largest solar energy plant in the world and spans more than five square miles of desert land.

“What is interesting about Ivanpah is that its capacity of close to 400 MW is right up there with large fossil fuel power plants, said Dr. Joshua West, a professor of Earth Sciences at USC. "This is the first time a solar plant of this scale has come online.

Currently, California gets the majority of its electricity from natural gas, which releases carbon dioxide when burned; renewable energy makes up 17 percent of the state's power. California is looking to change this, however, with a goal in place to hopefully get 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. 

This energy efficient power supply comes at an optimal time because Southern California has been dealing with energy shortages in the past year. On June 7, 2013 Southern California Edison announced that it would permanently retire two of its nuclear generating power stations at the San Onofre plant, which generated electricity for 1.4 million homes in Southern California.

Although the Solar Generating Power Plant in the Mojave Desert will not provide as much energy than the nuclear power plant did, it is a step towards a greener future.

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Despite the potential economic benefits of the solar power plant, Dr. West notes that there are several negative environmental issues with renewable energy in general that people tend to overlook.

"I think the biggest environmental concerns are about the destruction of important and fragile desert habitat," said Dr. West. "There are lots of rare species that call the desert home, and a large project like this puts their homes in jeopardy…So, conservation organizations are understandably concerned that projects like Ivanpah need to be thoroughly vetted and carefully planned, otherwise desert ecosystems of the American west could be serious peril.”

The plant at Ivanpah also uses significant amounts of water to produce energy. Dr. West noted that it is important to consider how Ivanpah will continue to supply the plant with large amounts of water, and whether or not a major plant like this will put a serious strain on already limited water resources.

Dr. West pointed out that sometimes the excitement over projects like Ivanpah may overlook the environmental side effects of renewable energy power. He believes that it is essential to question whether projects like Ivanpah could realistically meet enough of the country’s energy needs—especially since solar power generating plants cannot produce electricity in the evening when the sun goes down.

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Several environmental and animal rights organizations argue that the environmental impact of the solar power generating plant were not properly considered.

"The newly constructed Ivanpah solar energy generating stations required the destruction of about 3,800 acres of what was once relatively undisturbed and biologically rich habitat," said Jeff Aardahl, California representative for Defenders of Wildlife. "It is doubtful [the energy companies] did an adequate job considering the results of biological resource surveys conducted on their proposed sites."

Aardahl believes that the energy companies could have done a better job with the site surveys before the project went underway and major environmental construction was done.

"Solar energy companies could have focused on finding highly fragmented lands for their proposed solar energy projects rather than relatively intact ecosystems on federal land," added Ardahl. "We also believe smaller-scale projects located near the population centers where most electricity is consumed... should have been given much higher priority."

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Defenders of Wildlife is not the only organization that has been involved in protesting this project, the Western Watersheds Project is continuing to push a lawsuit against the federal agencies that allowed the Ivanpah project to proceed. Michael Connor, the California Director of the Western Watershed Project, believed that site alternatives for the solar power generating station were not considered.

The Western Watershed Project members note that there are significant environmental detriments to the solar power generator, caused by the extensive desert construction that destroyed most native plant populations and animal habitats within a five square mile radius.

For example, the tortoise population in the area was completely fragmented because of the size of the plant. Also, local bird populations have been effected because the mirrors reflect so much heat that it kills birds as they are flying by the plant. 

PETA, the animal rights organization, was not directly involved in protesting the Ivanpah project while it was being constructed because they were not notified about the project. However, Kenneth Montville, an animal rights blog writer at PETA, commented about the implications of a project like this to the animal habitats in the desert.

"Developers should conduct thorough wildlife surveys so they can avoid areas where wildlife or habitats will be at risk. Brightsource knew that the solar farm area was teeming with desert tortoises and birds before they broke ground. They would have been better off taking more time to plan and maybe pick a different spot," commented Montville. "Unfortunately, the whole [plant] is built."

Holland from NRG responded to these environmental and animal rights organizations, saying that it is important to consider the long-term impacts of these energy saving projects.

"We have spent millions of dollars on care for the various species found at Ivanpah to ensure that these populations will not be negatively impacted by the project," said Holland. "At this time, Ivanpah maintains a staff of 25 biologists to care for, monitor, and respond to the needs of animals and plants. During construction, Ivanpah retained a staff of up to 160 biologists on the project dedicated to the care and safety of the indigenous flora and fauna...We are in full compliance with our permit in regards to wildlife protection and we intend to remain so for the life of the project."

Despite the environmental controversies surrounding the Ivanpah plant, Google believes that the plant is a step in the right direction for a greener, more energy efficient future. The company continues to invest in projects like this. For a list of projects that Google is investing in, visit Google Green.

Reach Staff Reporter Niki Hashemi here and follow her on Twitter.