Meta just signed more power purchase agreements (PPAs) with ENGIE North America, expanding their partnership to more than 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar across four projects in Texas. It’s just a shame the social media giant is also going big on gas plants in Louisiana to power its data centers at the same time.

The latest PPAs include ENGIE’s new 600-megawatt (MW) Swenson Ranch Solar project in Stonewall County, southeast of Lubbock. When it comes online in 2027, Swenson will become ENGIE’s largest solar farm within its 11 GW North American portfolio of solar, wind, and battery storage projects. Meta will buy 100% of Swenson’s power to run its US data centers.

ENGIE says the $900 million project will create over 350 construction jobs and generate over $158 million in tax revenue for Stonewall County and the local hospital district over its lifetime.

“Our objective is to bring reliable, cost-competitive power to the grid as rapidly as possible, and projects like Swenson demonstrate the importance of solar to meet the timely needs of our customers,” said Dave Carroll, ENGIE North America’s CEO and chief renewables officer.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Meta’s head of global energy, Urvi Parekh, said the expanded deal with ENGIE “enables us to continue matching 100% of our electricity use with clean and renewable energy to support our data center operations,” Parekh said.

Electrek’s Take

Meta isn’t exactly putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to matching 100% of its electricity use with clean energy. The social media giant is also building a $10 billion data center – one of the world’s largest – in Richland Parish, Louisiana, that’s going to be powered by three gas-powered plants, which utility Entergy will build especially for Meta, which is paying 50% of the costs. Those three plants will produce 2,262 MW of dirty fossil fuel power. For perspective, that’s nearly 10% of Entergy’s current energy capacity across four states.

So while the 1.3 GW of clean energy that ENGIE will produce in Texas for Meta is great, it doesn’t make up for the CO2 emissions it’s about to create with this dirty project it’s building in a lower-income farming community in Louisiana. It certainly isn’t for speed, because solar is the fastest to put up. Limited state oversight – and a 2024 state law that lets the company skip paying sales tax – likely helped Meta make that destructive decision.

Read more: Texas just became No 1 in the US for most utility-scale solar

The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

That rugged new Genesis SUV we’ve been waiting for might be electric after all. A Genesis EV was spotted in South Korea with a new off-road style and EV powertrain.

Is the Genesis off-road luxury SUV an EV?

Genesis is turning ten this year, and to celebrate, it’s giving the people what they want. The luxury brand has a slate of new vehicles set to launch over the next few years, including a flagship full-size electric SUV, high-performance cars, and a luxury off-roader.

Hyundai confirmed during last month’s CEO Investor Day that Genesis will offer vehicles across all powertrains, rather than electric only, as initially planned.

Although we knew the “ultra-luxe” GV90 would be electric when it arrives in 2026, Genesis has kept most details of its luxury off-road SUV a secret.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

We got our first look at it in April after Genesis unveiled the X Gran Equator Concept. The rugged-looking SUV is the brand’s “first adventure vehicle concept,” but that’s about all we know.

Genesis said the off-road SUV “marries on-road sophistication with off-road resilience,” offering adventure and refinement, but didn’t provide any specifics.

After a modified Genesis test car was spotted in South Korea with off-road upgrades, it’s looking more likely that the off-road SUV may actually be an EV.

The images posted by user hscarstory on an online forum are among the first to emerge. The vehicle, a modified Genesis Electrified GV70, was being tested by the “Chassis Test Team.” You can see a few added off-road elements like a fine-tuned suspension and bigger tires.

It also has a large tow hook or wrench on the front, a staple of Hyundai XRT test cars. The test vehicle is expected to be the first of a new Genesis off-road brand or trim, similar to Hyundai’s XRT.

Genesis said the X Gran Equator Concept wasn’t confirmed for production. Still, certain design elements and features, such as the integrated roof rails and split-opening tailgate, “showcase the brand’s future design potential.”

The brand has yet to say when the luxury off-roader will arrive. We do know Genesis is launching its first hybrid, the GV80, next year.

It will introduce its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) based on the GV70 in late 2026 or early 2027. We got our first look at the Genesis GV70 EREV and hybrid models earlier this month, out for testing.

The GV90 is expected to arrive in mid-2026 as the first vehicle built on Hyundai’s new eM platform. Genesis has yet to reveal when it will launch the luxury off-roader, but it’s expected to arrive as a 2027 model. Since it’s introducing new powertrains, we can’t rule out an EREV or a hybrid variation of the off-roader.

Can Genesis compete with the Rivian R1S? Or the upcoming Range Rover Electric? We should learn more soon. Check back for the latest updates.

Source: HSscarstory