Meta signed another big solar contract on Thursday, securing 650 megawatts across projects in Kansas and Texas.
American utility and power generation company AES is currently developing a solar-only project, with 400 megawatts being deployed in Texas and 250 megawatts being deployed in Kansas, the company told TechCrunch.
Meta said it has signed an agreement to strengthen its growing data center to support growing AI operations. The company already has more than 12 gigawatts of capacity in its renewable power portfolio.
AES usually signs new power purchase agreements two to three years before they begin commercial operations, with the average duration of such transactions being 15 to 20 years, spokesman Katie Lau said.
This is Meta’s fourth solar deal this year. Everything is in Texas, one hits 595 megawatts, the other hits 505 megawatts, and the last two hits 200 megawatts each.
According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, Texas has recently become a hotbed for solar development, leading the country with new solar capacity installed in 2023 and 2024. The state has ample sunlight, quick permissions and quick grid connections.
The latter two are especially useful when deploying new solar capacity. With the permissions and grid connections, solar farms can be built in months rather than years. New solar will not hurt that it is one of the cheapest forms of new generation capabilities, even before subsidies are considered.
Additionally, data centers can phase in solar farms, so you don’t have to wait for construction to finish. Electricity flows before the project is completed. In fact, in a press release, Andrés Gluski, CEO of AES, called Solar’s “fast time and low cost power” as an important attribute that attracted hyperscalers like Meta.