Meta signed one other huge photo voltaic deal on Thursday, securing 650 megawatts throughout initiatives in Kansas and Texas.
American utility and energy era firm AES is presently creating the solar-only initiatives, with 400 megawatts to be deployed in Texas and 250 megawatts in Kansas, the corporate instructed TechCrunch.
Meta stated 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 business operations, and the common time period for such offers is 15 to twenty years, spokesperson Katie Lau stated.
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 improvement lately, main the nation in new photo voltaic capability put in in 2023 and 2024, in accordance with the Solar Energy Industries Association. The state has ample sunshine, fast allowing, and speedy grid connections.
The latter two are significantly useful when deploying a brand new photo voltaic capability. With allowing and grid connections in place, a photo voltaic farm may be inbuilt months reasonably than years. It doesn’t damage that new photo voltaic is without doubt one of the cheapest forms of latest producing capability, even earlier than subsidies are thought-about.
Plus, knowledge facilities needn’t need for building to complete since photo voltaic farms may be phased in, with electrical energy flowing earlier than challenge completion. Certainly, in a press launch, AES CEO Andrés Gluski referred to as out photo voltaic’s “quick time-to-power and low-cost electrical energy” as key attributes which have attracted hyperscalers like Meta.