The Memphis area will host a major utility-scale solar installation under the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Green Invest program, after TVA finalized a partnership with Facebook and RWE Renewables to build a 150 MW solar facility in Shelby County.
Facebook will use 110 MW to support its data center operations in Gallatin, Tennessee, and the broader Tennessee Valley. Under Green Invest, Facebook has signed agreements for 475 MW of new solar to be built in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Since 2018, Facebook has agreed to buy a total of 852 MW of power generated by multiple solar farms linked to the TVA electric grid.
The Shelby County project will create more than 150 construction jobs, with employment for up to four full-time operations and maintenance staff. The facility is expected to come online in late 2023, pending environmental reviews.
In April, Facebook said it had reached its previously announced goals of supporting all of its operations with 100% renewable energy, while also reaching net-zero emissions, as of the end of 2020. All renewable energy commitments since then have been to achieve the company’s next goal of reaching net zero emissions for its entire value chain by 2030.
Worldwide, Facebook has contracts in place with 63 renewable energy installations, totaling more than 6 GW of wind and solar energy across 18 states and five countries.
