Key facts
- Google's new solar and battery storage project in Arkansas is its largest to date.
- The project will add 1 GW of solar and 1.9 GWh of battery storage in its first two phases.
- The full three-phase project, Steel River Energy Center, aims to be the largest solar facility in the U.S.
- xAI operates unpermitted natural gas power plants, facing scrutiny for environmental impact.
- Google's investment aims to match its electricity use with clean power on an hourly basis.
Google has announced its largest-ever solar power and battery storage purchase, the Steel River Energy Center in Arkansas. The project's first two phases will add 1 gigawatt of solar capacity and 1.9 gigawatt-hours of battery storage, enough to power approximately 6% of the state's peak demand. When fully completed by 2029, the three-phase facility is slated to become the largest solar plant in the United States, with a total capacity of 1.8 gigawatts of solar and 2.9 gigawatt-hours of battery storage.
This significant investment in renewable energy contrasts sharply with the operations of xAI, a company also associated with Elon Musk, which reportedly runs nearly 60 natural gas turbines without federal clean air permits. These plants have been linked to pollution affecting predominantly Black neighborhoods in Mississippi. Musk's recent acquisition of APR Energy, a developer of modular natural gas power plants, suggests a continued focus on this energy source for xAI's data centers, despite Musk also leading Tesla, a company involved in solar technology.
While Google has also engaged in natural gas projects, such as a plant in West Texas with Crusoe, its primary strategy has leaned towards clean power expansion. The rapid deployment of projects like Steel River, which can bring nearly 2 gigawatts of solar capacity online in three years, indicates Google's likely continued investment in renewables and battery storage.