Meta has entered into three new agreements this week to secure almost 1 gigawatt of solar energy as it accelerates efforts to support its ambitious AI projects.
With these latest contracts, Meta’s total solar energy acquisitions for the year now exceed 3 gigawatts. Solar power’s affordability and rapid deployment have made it a preferred choice for tech giants as their data center operations expand rapidly.
Yesterday, Meta revealed two deals in Louisiana to acquire environmental attributes from projects totaling 385 megawatts of power. Both initiatives are slated for completion within the next two years.
These follow a larger agreement announced on Monday, where Meta secured 600 megawatts from a vast solar installation near Lubbock, Texas. This facility is also scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2027.
Although the Texas solar farm will not directly supply Meta’s data centers, it will contribute to the regional grid, thereby compensating for the energy consumed by those facilities.
The Louisiana contracts, on the other hand, involve the purchase of certificates that enable Meta to counterbalance its reliance on carbon-heavy energy sources.
These environmental attribute certificates (EACs), also known as renewable energy certificates, have faced criticism from some experts who argue that they can mask the actual carbon emissions of tech firms, especially as AI-driven energy demand surges.
EACs were initially created when renewable energy was significantly more expensive than fossil fuels. They allowed anyone to buy renewable electricity, while giving companies the option to pay a premium to offset their emissions and help cover the higher costs of clean energy, thereby incentivizing more renewable projects.
However, the price of new solar and wind power has dropped sharply, often making renewables cheaper than new fossil fuel plants and even some existing coal and gas facilities. As a result, EACs no longer offer the same motivation for new projects, and experts question their effectiveness in driving additional renewable capacity.
Experts suggest that if companies are serious about offsetting the increased energy use from AI, they should focus on supporting the development of new renewable energy sources.
