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Toymaker LEGO plans $543 million wind energy investment

By | February 29, 2012, 2:23 PM PST

Apparently, cool geometric sculptures aren’t the only thing that toymaker LEGO Group is interested in building. I just read on the company’s blog that its parent, KIRKBI A/S, plans to invest roughly $534 million over the next four years in a wind farm that will be located off the coast of Germany.

The farm will include 77 wind turbines, built about 34 miles off the coast. It will be a joint venture of three Danish companies: DONG Energy, the Oticon Foundation/William Demant Invest, and KIRKBI. At the end of the project, LEGO’s parent KIRLBI will own approximately one-third of the output.

LEGO’s aim is to generate enough renewable energy capacity to handle all of its electricity needs by 2020. The investment in the wind farm will more than accomplish that goal, according to the blog. That is the equivalent of the power needed to keep 300,000 German households running for a year. It will also earn LEGO the right to use the WindMade eco-label.

The goal is to switch on the first phase of the wind-generated electricity in 2014; construction on the farm will begin in 2013.

(Image courtesy of LEGO Group blog)

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Heather Clancy

About Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy

Contributing Editor

Heather Clancy has written for United Press International, ZDNet, Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times. She holds a degree from McGill University. She is based in New Jersey.

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Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy

I am fascinated about how businesses of all sizes can transform their operations through technology -- not just to make themselves more efficient, but to rise above their competitors. That's the theme for my two ZDNet blogs, Small Business Matters and Next-Gen Partner. For SmartPlanet, I'm focused on profiling inspirational and controversial business leaders who have great leadership lessons to share. I also write regularly and passionately about corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues for GreenBiz.com.

Occasionally, I will pop up at an industry conference in some sort of speaking capacity. In cases where an engagement involves a sponsor that may be covered in this blog, that fact will be disclosed in coverage as appropriate.

My corporate writing work usually consists of crafting research white papers about some aspect of technology or moderating Webcasts. In the event that my commentary (in written, audio or video form) mentions a company for which I have provided consulting advice, I will disclose that fact. However, there is no connection between these projects and topics that I cover in my blogs.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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