First Made-in-US Solar Plant Set To Power Google Data Centers

First Made-in-USA Solar Plant Set To Power Google Data Centers

Made-in-US solar plants are now all set to power the Google data centers, the US Energy Department, under its policy office said in one of its latest blogs. The office said that this will boost the local economy and the American manufacturing industry in the country. US Office of Policy calls it one of the first publicly announced utility-scale solar projects with US-built panels. These panels are expected to qualify for the domestic content tax credit. It will supply electricity for multiple Google data centers in Texas.

The energy department said, “As energy demand grows, energy companies in the U.S. are leading the next wave of innovation on a range of technologies and a leading source of new power generation across the country to meet the moment.”

The energy department said, “Last October, Secretary Granholm joined SB Energy in Milam County, Texas for the opening of three solar projects — Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III. All together, this facility will utilize 1.3 million solar modules manufactured by First Solar at its Perrysburg, Ohio plant to produce 875 MW of power, about as much as an average-sized natural gas plant. The electricity will go to the Texas grid and help power Google’s data centers in neighboring Ellis County and the surrounding areas.”

It added, “Together with manufacturing partners, companies, like SB Energy are delivering on America’s industrial strategy promise, with projects focused on growing domestic manufacturing, creating good-paying jobs and strengthening national energy secure. The projects show that the federal incentives and DOE’s data center strategy are working. Through tax credits known as the Domestic Content Bonus, the administration is incentivizing domestic procurement for solar and storage systems, creating strong demand for American-made products. In addition to the Ohio-made panels, the 22,800 tons of structural steel for the project is sourced from steel mills run by Gerdau in nearby Midlothian, Texas, and Cartersville, Georgia. Additionally, Nextracker, a global leader in solar tracker technology, supplied domestically manufactured smart solar trackers. All told, these projects are expected to qualify for the 50% investment tax credit through meeting bonus requirements.”

The company explained about the project, “This is just one of thousands of projects nationwide that show the IRA is working, and its manufacturing incentives are leading to historic investments in U.S. workers, facilities, and communities. Since the passage of the IRA, Texas has announced 16 new or expanded solar facilities, representing over 33 GW of new manufacturing capacity, over $1.8 billion in investment, and over 7,000 potential new jobs in the state. Additionally, there are over 35 newly operational solar factories across the country that were announced post-IRA, investing over $3 billion in America while creating over 9,500 jobs.”

The department further explained, “In addition to boosting the economy, clean energy is a critical strategy to support the rapid growth of data centers and the associated rise in demand for electricity.”

DOE’s Data Center Engagement Team is supporting the industry to meet this demand, publishing resources at energy.gov/electricitydemand and driving four key strategies:

• Leveraging energy community opportunities to re-use infrastructure at retired coal facilities for data centers and associated power infrastructure
• Enabling data center flexibility through onsite clean power generation and storage solutions, so data centers can be a grid asset rather than a burden
• Collaborating with stakeholders on innovative tariff structures to support clean power while protecting other customers
• Commercializing key technologies, such as next-generation geothermal, advanced nuclear, and long-duration storage
• The Orion Solar Projects showcase the success of the broader strategy to invest in America, expand domestic manufacturing, meet our clean energy goals, and continue to lead on technology innovation such as AI and advanced technologies.