Facebook going solar in Georgia with 202.5 MW from Silicon Ranch, Strata

December 6 (Renewables Now) - US solar developers Silicon Ranch Corp and Strata Solar have secured contracts to build 202.5 MW of photovoltaic (PV) parks in Georgia that will be supplying a Facebook data centre there.

The contracts were awarded by utility Walton Electric Membership Corp (EMC) under a power purchase agreement (PPA) to deliver 100% of renewables electricity for the Newton County data centre, EMC said on Wednesday. Social media giant Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) unveiled plans for the new facility in March, which will be its ninth in the US.

Silicon Ranch, whose largest shareholder is oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell Plc (AMS:RDSA), will install 102.5 MW of solar capacity in Early County, on the southwest border of the state. To be powered by locally made modules by Hanwha Q Cells Co Ltd (NASDAQ:HQCL), the plant will become operational next year.

Additionally, Strata Solar will build a 80-MW solar park in Calhoun County, as well as a 20-MW facility in Colquitt County, both of which are scheduled for completion in 2020.

The total investment required for the two projects is estimated at over USD 230 million (EUR 202.7m). Their construction will open around 800 jobs, while further positions will be opened for the plants’ operations and maintenance.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.881)