The rooftop solar-generation system will be used at the Silicon Valley headquarters of Google and will produce around 30% of the required power for the site, according to Reuters.

Sharp Electronics will supply the 9212 solar panels required for the project that will produce enough power to satisfy the demand of 1000 Californian homes.

“We wanted to dispel the myth that you can’t be both green and profitable,” Google vice-president of real estate David Radcliffe said.

Most of the solar panels will sit on top of the so-called “Googleplex” while others will provide shade for parking.

Earlier this year rival Microsoft announced plans for a 2288-panel system at one of its research sites, capable of producing 480 kilowatts.

Sharp Corporation, parent company of Sharp Electronics, has the world’s largest corporate solar system, capable of generating 5.2MW, at its Kameyama factory in Japan.