Origis Energy has started development of a 100MW solar facility in the US to power a Google data centre. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the solar facility in Obion county as part of its Green Invest programme.
The produced energy will power a data centre in Clarksville, TennHollywood, Alabama. Origis Energy will own and operate the solar power farm, through a long-term power purchase agreement.
During construction, the project will create more than 300 jobs, with nearly ten full-time jobs once the facility begins operations.
The company intends to bring the solar facility online by the end of 2022, pending environmental reviews.
Origis Energy chief commercial officer and chief procurement officer Johan Vanhee said: “This Tennessee solar milestone is another demonstration of the success of TVA’s Green Invest partnership.
“Such utility innovations are helping Google reach its aim to be the first major company to operate carbon-free by 2030. We are very pleased to add 100MW to this goal while contributing to the economic development of Obion County.”
So far, Google has purchased 266MW of clean energy generated by multiple solar farms linked into the TVA electric grid.
Over the last two years, Green Invest has generated $1.4bn in economic activity in areas serviced by TVA.
TVA origination and renewables vice-president Chris Hansen said: “TVA’s Green Invest can deliver clean, reliable renewable energy at a competitive price – stimulating growth across our seven-state region and giving our region a competitive advantage through public power.”
Last September, Google announced that it would make its largest corporate power purchase agreement with the purchase of 1.6GW in renewable energy worldwide.
