Google to purchase 413 MW solar power for new data centres in the USA

Google has announced that it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for 413 MW solar power to be generated by several new photovoltaic power plants in the region, comprising 1.6 million solar panels.

The power purchased will offset the consumption of two new energy-efficient Google data centre campuses currently being built in Tennessee and northern Alabama.

The two biggest solar farms included in the PPA will be able to produce around 150 MW each. Located in Hollywood, Alabama and Yum Yum, Tennessee, these power plants will be among the largest renewable energy projects in the Tennessee Valley region, and the largest solar farms ever to be built for Google.

Although the names of the projects are unknown, Google has disclosed that TVA is partnering with NextEra Energy Resources and Invenergy to develop these unprecedented solar farms.

The PPA ensures that approximately 72% of Google's data center electricity use in Alabama and Tennessee will be matched on an hourly basis with carbon-free sources, a significant increase on the status-quo regional grid mix that is 48% carbon free.

It is part of the corporation's goal, announced in October 2018, to source carbon-free energy for its global operations on a 24/7 basis. Google advocates full-scale decarbonization of the worldwide energy sector as imperative to tackling climate change.