Google is taking its portfolio to the next level with its plans to invest in an Arkansas solar project set to become the largest solar and storage project in the United States to date.
In agreement with Cypress Creek Energy, which will invest in and receive energy from the facility, Google will serve as an anchor investor and purchaser from Steel River Energy Center, a combined solar and storage project that has already broken ground in Mississippi County, Arkansas.
Google signed a power purchase agreement to receive energy from the first two phases of the project. The project will be built in three phases, with the first two expected to result in 1.6 gigawatt hours of direct current and 1.9 gigawatt hours of battery storage. Once complete, the project is expected to have a capacity for 2.5 gigawatt hours of direct current of solar and 2.9 gigawatt hours of battery storage. Referred to as a “game changer” by Google, the operation will pair the solar arrays with advanced battery storage systems.
The facility is expected to be online in 2029 and will be demonstrable proof that there is strength in the domestic solar supply chain. It will create 700 jobs during construction and bring in an estimated $300 million in local tax revenue over the project’s lifespan. Google also committed $5 million for local energy affordability initiatives to benefit residents in the area while Cypress Creek will add $3 million community investment, starting with a $400,000 contribution to construct a new playground in a nearby school district.
