Google is purchasing an additional 600 megawatts of solar energy to power its data centres.
Google and energyRe, a developer of renewable energy projects, announced a new deal that will allow Google to buy Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from energyRe’s portfolio of more than 600 MW of new solar and solar with storage projects in South Carolina.
After the businesses inked a 12-year PPA in October 2024, the announcement is the second agreement between Google and energyRe, increasing the new U.S. clean energy capacity made possible by the partnership to over 1 GW.
The new agreement covers EnergyRe’s solar and storage projects in South Carolina. According to the company, 16 gigawatts are now being developed; the majority of the projects on its website have installed between 60 and 75 MW of solar, though some are larger.
Google recently made significant investments in renewable energy. It promised to invest $20 billion last year with Intersect Power and TPG Rise Climate to construct enough zero-carbon power plants to supply electricity for data centers with a capacity of several gigawatts. Additionally, the business inked an agreement with Leeward Renewable Energy in January to purchase more than 700 megawatts of solar projects in Oklahoma.
Google has stated that it will remove its energy-related carbon footprint by 2030, similar to many other IT corporations. Google and its competitors had been moving slowly in that direction for years after making consistent investments in renewable energy.
However, the development of AI and the processing power required to run it has made that calculation more difficult, requiring Google and other companies to increase their acquisitions. In 2023, the final year for which Google has released data, the corporation purchased 4 gigawatts of clean power.
Google is not by itself: Including a 475 megawatt acquisition in March, Microsoft has installed hundreds of megawatts of solar this year alone. In January and February, Meta inked agreements for 595 megawatts and 505 megawatts of solar power, respectively.
The CEO of energyRe, Miguel Prado, stated:
“In energyRe’s quest to create ground-breaking and significant renewable energy solutions for the future, this collaboration marks a significant turning point. We are proud to work with Google to support their aspirational sustainability and decarbonization goals while providing reliable, locally produced renewable energy to satisfy the world’s expanding energy needs.
The firms claim that the new arrangement would help Google meet its goal of having net zero carbon emissions throughout its operations and value chain by 2030, in addition to providing locally produced renewable energy to meet the region’s energy demands. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, declared in 2020 that it will run its entire company on carbon-free energy by 2030 as part of its 24/7 CFE objective. Operating on a 24/7 CFE means that, in every area where the business operates, the demand for electricity is matched with the supply of CFE at all times.
Google’s Head of Data Centre Energy, Amanda Peterson Corio, stated:
Supporting the digital infrastructure that both individuals and businesses rely on requires strengthening the grid through the deployment of more dependable and clean electricity. Our partnership with energyRe will support both our data centers and South Carolina’s overall economic expansion.