This massive project will produce 1.6 GW of solar power at start-up, enough to power 315,000 homes.
Google has reached an agreement to buy the entire electricity output of a large solar project to offset its fossil fuel emissions, The Financial Times reports. The search giant will take 100% of the initial output from the Steel River Energy Center in Arkansas once it comes online in 2029, or 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 2 GW of battery storage, enough to power 315,000 homes.
Google will pay a fixed cost for the electricity produced by the solar plant, but will not use it directly. Instead, it will tap into the grid powered by a mix of coal, nuclear, renewables and natural gas, as well as its own on-site electricity (usually gas turbines and engines).
Energy from the Steel River Energy Center solar project will be part of this grid mix. Once completed, the project will provide 2.45 GW of solar power and 2.9 GWh of battery energy storage. The first two phases (of three) received $3.5 billion in funding and prioritized American-made steel and solar panels.
Google’s electricity consumption increased 37% last year, causing its grid-related emissions to increase by the same amount. Other tech giants like Meta and Amazon have also seen their energy consumption increase significantly thanks to data centers powering AI. Much of this energy has been fueled by fossil fuel sources, further increasing CO2 emissions in a rapidly warming planet. Recent heatwaves that hit Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, scientists said last month.
Tech giants have been looking at clean energy projects to offset fossil energy, a controversial practice that some experts say is not effective. Meta recently purchased the entire power output (200 MW) of another solar plant in Texas, while Amazon recently agreed to buy the troubled 1.2 GW Sunstone solar and battery project in Oregon.
