Google has signed a new deal to buy 600 megawatts of solar energy from projects developed by EnergyRe in South Carolina, expanding its renewable energy footprint to support growing data center demands.
The solar and battery storage projects are part of EnergyRe’s clean energy portfolio, which includes about 16 gigawatts under development. While most of their projects average between 60 to 75 MW, a few are significantly larger in scale.
Google faces increasing energy demands from the rapid growth of AI computing. Data centers powering AI models consume more electricity than traditional workloads, encouraging tech giants to invest heavily in clean power to maintain sustainability goals.
In 2023 alone, Google contracted 4 gigawatts of clean energy, the highest in a single year according to its publicly available data. This latest agreement adds to Google’s earlier commitments, including a $20 billion investment announced last year with Intersect Power and TPG Rise Climate to build zero-carbon power plants across the U.S.
Earlier this year, Google also signed a deal to purchase over 700 megawatts of solar from Leeward Renewable Energy in Oklahoma.
The race to secure clean energy isn’t limited to Google. Competitors like Microsoft added 475 megawatts of solar in March alone. Meanwhile, Meta signed two major deals in early 2024, purchasing 595 MW in January and 505 MW in February.
All three tech companies have pledged to run on 100% carbon-free energy by 2030, but the accelerating energy demand from AI innovation has shifted the pace and scale of investment.
This latest 600 MW deal reflects its strategy to meet climate goals while supporting AI infrastructure.
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