Google to deploy world’s largest iron-air battery for US data center
Google plans to deploy a 300 MW/30 GWh iron-air battery system in Minnesota under an agreement with Xcel Energy, pairing it with 1.6 GW of new wind and solar.
Corporate PPA deals down 10% in 2025 as AI demand plugs gaps
BloombergNEF global report finds corporate clean energy procurement fell in 2025 for first time in nine years amid negative pricing and policy uncertainty. Big Tech leads procurement as number of cPPA offtakers halved in the United States. Solar remains the top generating technology for cPPAs.
Google acquires Intersect Power for nearly $5 billion
Google is set to acquire solar and storage developer Intersect Power, arming itself with the tools to bypass grid bottlenecks and build the projects that will power its AI data centers.
Data center firms could buy utilities and add renewables, says trade group exec
Data center firms could purchase electric utilities and add renewable generation in the United States, says Simon Mahan, executive director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association, which represents the wind, solar, storage and transmission sectors.
The challenge of truly clean-powered operations
Growing corporate interest in hourly matching power purchase agreements (PPAs) is expected to drive the pairing of PV, wind, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), with potential broader impacts on the energy procurement market, as Neil Ford reports.
Powering the AI revolution
Developers from the renewable energy and data center markets are working to find common ground to meet surging energy demand fueled by the artificial intelligence boom.
Pioneers in Irish solar energy
From modest beginnings in 2011, Power Capital Renewable Energy (PCRE) has become one of Ireland’s foremost independent power producers (IPPs). Joint CEO and co-founder Justin Brown told pv magazine that despite Ireland’s challenging environment for solar, the company sees a lot of opportunity and is taking full advantage.
Major US corporations embracing community solar
The Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) says that household names such as Microsoft, Google, Walmart, Starbucks, Rivian, Wendy’s, and T-Mobile are just a few of the Fortune 500 companies that have signed agreements with community solar developers.
PPAs offer protection
Europe is witnessing a surge in power purchase agreements (PPAs). Over the past four years, the number of European PPA transactions has trebled. More than 180 deals were signed in 2022 alone and the trend is expected to continue, especially for solar projects.
Consumers have a right to know the energy make-up of goods
With energy certification already a must-have for any business which makes green energy claims, Ed Everson, chief executive of England-based, global certification company Evident, makes the case for firms to be required to make full disclosure of their energy sources.
