Meta signed one other massive photo voltaic deal on Thursday, securing 650 megawatts throughout tasks in Kansas and Texas.
American utility and energy technology firm AES is at present growing the solar-only tasks, with 400 megawatts to be deployed in Texas and 250 megawatts in Kansas, the corporate informed TechCrunch.
Meta mentioned it signed the deal to energy its knowledge facilities, which have been increasing to assist its rising AI operations. The corporate already has greater than 12 gigawatts of capability in its renewable energy portfolio.
AES usually indicators new energy buy agreements two to a few years earlier than they start industrial operations, and the common time period for such offers is 15 to twenty years, spokesperson Katie Lau mentioned.
That is the fourth photo voltaic deal that Meta has introduced this yr. All are in Texas, with one clocking in at 595 megawatts, one other at 505 megawatts, and the ultimate two hitting 200 megawatts every.
Texas has change into a hotbed of photo voltaic growth lately, main the nation in new photo voltaic capability put in in 2023 and 2024, in keeping with the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation. The state has ample sunshine, fast allowing, and speedy grid connections.
The latter two are notably useful when deploying a brand new photo voltaic capability. With allowing and grid connections in place, a photo voltaic farm could be in-built months somewhat than years. It doesn’t damage that new photo voltaic is likely one of the least expensive varieties of recent producing capability, even earlier than subsidies are thought-about.
Plus, knowledge facilities needn’t watch for building to complete since photo voltaic farms could be phased in, with electrical energy flowing earlier than challenge completion. Certainly, in a press launch, AES CEO Andrés Gluski known as out photo voltaic’s “quick time-to-power and low-cost electrical energy” as key attributes which have attracted hyperscalers like Meta.
