Full Name
Michael Terrell
Job Title
Google - Senior Director of Energy and Climate
Company
Google
Speaker Bio
Michael Terrell is a global leader and expert in clean energy and corporate climate strategy. He is currently Sr. Director for Climate at Google and Board Chair of the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA).
For over a decade, Michael has helped build Google into a leader in clean energy and climate action. As Sr. Director for Climate, Michael leads Google’s efforts to decarbonize its global operations and value chain. This includes developing company-wide strategy on energy and carbon, building new technologies and approaches to decarbonization, and driving technical leadership on these areas across the company.
Prior to his current role, Michael was Google’s Global Director of Energy where he was the driving force behind Google’s commitment to reach 24/7 carbon free by 2030 – the first of its kind for a major corporation and a new benchmark for corporate action on clean energy. Under Michael’s leadership, Google pioneered new approaches to purchasing clean energy, including the world’s first 24/7 corporate power purchase agreements; drove technological advances in power generation and demand management; and served as a leading advocate for comprehensive policies to tackle climate change and transform electricity systems globally.
In 2018 Michael helped found the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA) and serves as its Board Chair. Today CEBA has over 400 members, working together to achieve a 90% carbon-free US electricity system by 2030 and to cultivate a global community of energy customers driving clean energy. CEBA’s board of directors includes executives from Salesforce, Disney, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, Amazon, Volt Energy, and the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Prior to joining Google, Michael worked in energy and climate law and policy. He worked for a leading energy firm and served in multiple roles in the Federal government, including at the White House where he helped shape U.S. policy on energy and environmental issues during the Clinton Administration. He also worked as a seasonal ranger for the US Park Service and US Forest Service in Oregon and Washington State. Michael holds degrees from the Yale School of the Environment, the University of Michigan Law School and the University of the South, where he majored in Forestry and Geology.
Michael has appeared in major global media outlets including The New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, USA Today, Bloomberg, Fast Company, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, and Reuters. He represents Google and CEBA through frequent speaking appearances, testimony and official blogs, and regularly serves as a guest lecturer at Stanford University.
Follow Michael on Twitter @michael_terrell.
For over a decade, Michael has helped build Google into a leader in clean energy and climate action. As Sr. Director for Climate, Michael leads Google’s efforts to decarbonize its global operations and value chain. This includes developing company-wide strategy on energy and carbon, building new technologies and approaches to decarbonization, and driving technical leadership on these areas across the company.
Prior to his current role, Michael was Google’s Global Director of Energy where he was the driving force behind Google’s commitment to reach 24/7 carbon free by 2030 – the first of its kind for a major corporation and a new benchmark for corporate action on clean energy. Under Michael’s leadership, Google pioneered new approaches to purchasing clean energy, including the world’s first 24/7 corporate power purchase agreements; drove technological advances in power generation and demand management; and served as a leading advocate for comprehensive policies to tackle climate change and transform electricity systems globally.
In 2018 Michael helped found the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA) and serves as its Board Chair. Today CEBA has over 400 members, working together to achieve a 90% carbon-free US electricity system by 2030 and to cultivate a global community of energy customers driving clean energy. CEBA’s board of directors includes executives from Salesforce, Disney, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Walmart, Amazon, Volt Energy, and the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Prior to joining Google, Michael worked in energy and climate law and policy. He worked for a leading energy firm and served in multiple roles in the Federal government, including at the White House where he helped shape U.S. policy on energy and environmental issues during the Clinton Administration. He also worked as a seasonal ranger for the US Park Service and US Forest Service in Oregon and Washington State. Michael holds degrees from the Yale School of the Environment, the University of Michigan Law School and the University of the South, where he majored in Forestry and Geology.
Michael has appeared in major global media outlets including The New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, USA Today, Bloomberg, Fast Company, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, and Reuters. He represents Google and CEBA through frequent speaking appearances, testimony and official blogs, and regularly serves as a guest lecturer at Stanford University.
Follow Michael on Twitter @michael_terrell.
Speaking At
