Commercial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  January 18, 2019

Google plots 1.6 million solar panels in TN and AL

Google announced a deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to purchase 413 megawatts of power generated by 1.6 million solar panels from several solar farms, which will be used to power two new, energy-efficient data center campuses currently being built in Tennessee and Alabama.

A post from Google noted that the two largest solar farms, located in Hollywood, Alabama and Yum Yum, Tennessee, will be able to produce around 150 megawatts each, making them among the largest renewable energy projects in the Tennessee Valley region, and the largest solar farms ever to be built for Google. “Thanks to the abundant solar power generated by these new farms, electricity consumed by our data centers in Tennessee and Alabama will be matched with 100 percent renewable energy from day one, helping us match our annual electricity consumption as we grow.” The solar farms are being developed with TVA partners NextEra Energy Resources and Invenergy.

The post noted that to date, Google's more than 30 long-term contract commitments to purchase renewable energy have resulted in nearly $5 billion in investment worldwide. “Last year, we shared our long-term objective to source carbon-free electricity around the clock for each of our data centers. These new solar projects will bring us substantially closer to that goal in the Southeastern U.S.”

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