This week, Meta announced the signing of three contracts for nearly 1 gigawatt of solar energy, marking a significant step in addressing the increasing demands of its data centers and artificial intelligence projects. By 2025, the company has already secured over 3 GW of solar power. TechCrunch reports on this development.

Solar energy has become a primary source for tech corporations due to its relatively low and fast construction costs, making it an ideal choice amidst the rapid expansion of data centers.

On October 27, Meta revealed a deal to purchase 600 megawatts of electricity from a large solar facility in Texas, set to be operational by 2027. While this facility won't be directly connected to the company’s data centers, the generated energy will flow into the local grid, offsetting the consumption of these facilities.

On October 30, the company announced two contracts in Louisiana for the acquisition of environmental attributes amounting to 385 megawatts. These projects are expected to conclude in two years. In this case, the focus is on purchasing certificates that allow the company to account for the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

These certificates, known as Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs), emerged years ago when renewable energy was more expensive than traditional sources. They enabled companies to cover additional costs for renewable energy and stimulated the growth of such projects.

However, the significant drop in costs for solar and wind generation raises questions among experts about the actual contribution of EACs to the development of new renewable capacities.

Experts emphasize that if companies wish to offset the rising energy consumption from artificial intelligence development, they must invest in creating new renewable stations, rather than solely purchasing certificates.