Meta is driving a carbon-free energy strategy with a solar energy agreement
Meta has signed contracts with renewable energy company Invenergy for 760 megawatts of solar energy capacity, the companies said Thursday.
The deal is part of the Facebook owner’s quest for cleaner energy sources, including nuclear power, as its energy needs increase, namely due to the adoption of artificial intelligence.
The project includes solar facilities in four U.S. states and brings Meta’s total renewable energy agreements with Chicago-based Invenergy above 1 gigawatt. Operations are expected to commence between 2024 and 2027.
The electricity will power local grids while Meta receives clean energy credits to support its goal of powering all operations with renewable energy.
“Energy demand is soaring,” said Ted Romaine, Executive Vice President of Invenergy, noting that the projects will create jobs and generate “millions in local economic benefits.”
Meta’s Head of Global Energy, Urvi Parekh, said the agreement will help match the company’s growing energy needs with clean energy sources.
Invenergy, the largest privately held clean energy developer in the U.S., said it has developed more than 32,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Meta announced plans on Tuesday to seek proposals for 1 to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear generating capacity in the US, targeting operations in the early 2030s.
The nuclear initiative aims to support Meta’s growing artificial intelligence activities and data centers while contributing to the reliability of the electricity grid.
Building AI consumes a huge amount of electricity because it involves intensive computing activities. It also emits a lot of CO2 when using electricity generated by coal or natural gas.
As tech companies look for energy sources to meet these demands while meeting their zero-carbon emissions commitments, the hunt for nuclear, wind and solar power has intensified.
Meta’s move towards nuclear energy follows similar initiatives from Microsoft and Amazon, which are also scrambling to find enough energy to meet the needs of their AI ambitions, while also meeting zero-carbon targets.
