When searching for solar farms in the Tennessee Valley, the result will be Google. The internet conglomerate recently announced building two solar farms in Hollywood, Alabama, and Yum Yum, Tennessee. Each plant will produce about 150 megawatts of power.
Among the largest renewable energy efforts in the Tennessee Valley, these projects are the largest solar farms built for Google and will employ hundreds of construction workers, engineers and electricians.
As part of the deal with the Tennessee Valley Authority, Google will purchase 413 megawatts of power from the solar farm. With the 1.6 million solar panels – equal to about 65,000 home rooftop solar systems – these farms, about 72 percent of Google’s data center electricity use in Alabama and Tennessee will be matched on an hourly basis with carbon-free sources.
Google has a deep commitment to renewable energy with about $5 billion invested throughout the world. In 2018, Google announced its goal of sourcing carbon-free electricity around the clock to the company’s data centers. In November 2018, Google announced plans to build a $700 million data center in Denmark, which will be powered by renewable energy. Google also inked a 10-year renewable energy deal with wind farms in Finland.