Meta turns to solar — again — in its data center-building boom

TL;DR

• Meta signed a 595 MW solar-power deal in Texas with Zelestra, complementing a separate 200 MW solar deal with Engie announced earlier this month. TechCrunch
• The new agreements push Meta’s renewable capacity under contract to 12+ GW, underscoring its scale in backing a rapid data-center expansion for AI compute. TechCrunch
• Meta plans to spend about $60 billion this year on capital investments, the bulk of which will go to data-center infrastructure as it pursues its AI program and open-source Llama 4. TechCrunch
• Renewables can be deployed faster than nuclear for powering compute: Meta is soliciting proposals for 1–4 GW of capacity to come online in the early 2030s, with solar farms capable of delivering power in as little as 18 months. TechCrunch
• The broader industry trend shows tech giants leaning into renewables to support massive data-center footprints, alongside debates about nuclear vs. solar for scalable AI compute. TechCrunch

Context and background

Meta’s AI strategy continues to drive its capital allocation toward data-center infrastructure, a pattern seen across the industry as cloud-scale AI workloads grow. Meta’s push comes as it develops open-source Llama 4 to compete with closed models from OpenAI and Anthropic, while others like Microsoft and Google also emphasize renewables in their compute-centric strategies. The energy landscape for AI compute remains contested: nuclear plants take years to build and have yet to prove commercial readiness for such scale, while renewables offer faster deployment—solar can come online in about 18 months and is modular, enabling partial power delivery during construction. TechCrunch

What’s new

• Meta’s 595 MW solar deal in Texas with Spanish renewable developer Zelestra adds a substantial addition to its green-power portfolio. TechCrunch
• Earlier this month, Meta announced a 200 MW solar deal with Engie that will come online later this year. TechCrunch
• The combined impact leaves Meta with more than 12 GW of renewable capacity under contract, illustrating the scale of its infrastructure push to support AI compute. TechCrunch
• Meta plans to spend about $60 billion this year on capital investments, with most of that earmarked for data-center infrastructure to sustain its AI roadmap. TechCrunch
• The company is actively seeking 1–4 GW of capacity to come online in the early 2030s, highlighting a long-term plan to back growing compute with scalable energy. TechCrunch

Why it matters (impact for developers/enterprises)

• For developers and enterprises, Meta’s renewable push illustrates how major platforms are aligning energy supply with expanding AI compute requirements, potentially affecting energy pricing, grid considerations, and sustainability metrics in cloud-heavy workflows. The speed and modularity of solar deployment offer a contrast to slower nuclear timelines, potentially enabling faster scale-out of AI workloads. TechCrunch

Technical details or Implementation

• Solar capacity: 595 MW with Zelestra (Texas) and 200 MW with Engie; these are in addition to the already contracted renewables base. TechCrunch
• Total renewable capacity under contract: 12+ GW. TechCrunch
• Energy strategy context: Meta’s data-center expansion is tied to its AI roadmap and capital expenditure plans, with renewables serving as a primary energy source for compute-intensive workloads. TechCrunch
• Timeline and deployment speed: Solar farms can come online in as few as 18 months; the current approach is modular, allowing power delivery before full commissioning. Nuclear options are slower to realize at this scale. TechCrunch
• Capacity targets for the early 2030s: Meta solicits proposals for 1–4 GW of capacity to come online in the early 2030s. TechCrunch | Resource | Capacity (MW) | Status |---|---|---| | Solar with Zelestra (Texas) | 595 | Signed |Solar with Engie | 200 | Signed earlier this month |Total renewable capacity under contract | 12+ | Ongoing acquisitions and deals |
• Note: Meta’s renewable activities occur in a broader context of industry moves, with Microsoft and Google also engaging large-scale renewable initiatives to support enormous compute workloads. TechCrunch

Key takeaways

• Meta is expanding its solar-powered data-center footprint with a 595 MW Texas deal and a 200 MW Engie agreement, boosting contracted renewables to over 12 GW. TechCrunch
• The company plans to invest about $60 billion in data-center infrastructure this year to support its AI ambitions, including the open-source Llama 4 project. TechCrunch
• Solar deployment offers speed and modularity that outpace nuclear options for powering rapid compute expansion, with 1–4 GW sought for online in the early 2030s. TechCrunch
• The broader tech industry is leaning into renewables to meet growing AI compute demands, alongside ongoing debates about the role of nuclear power. TechCrunch

References

• TechCrunch. Meta turns to solar — again — in its data center-building boom. https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/31/meta-turns-to-solar-again-in-its-data-center-building-boom