<body><div><p>A company backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Ares Climate Infrastructure said three solar power of its projects are now online in Texas. SB Energy, a renewable energy group focused on utility-scale installations, said the solar farms—with about 900 MW of combined generation capacity—will support the state's power grid and provide electricity for Google's data centers and its cloud region in the Dallas area. The Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III installations, collectively known as the "Orion Solar Belt," are located in Milam County. SB Energy on October 18 said the projects are expected to qualify for the domestic content bonus credit contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. SB Energy said the solar farms utilize more than 1.3 million American-made modules, along with domestic steel and other U.S.-made components. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined SB Energy officials on Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the Orion project. "The Biden-Harris Administration envisioned an industrial strategy for clean energy that's built and installed by American workers and powering American companies in proud American communities. This future is seen in action through the Orion Solar Belt in Texas," said Granholm. "This project showcases how American made clean energy can power data centers and our future."</p><h2>American-Made Components</h2><p>Officials said the project is estimated to have employed 3,000 U.S. workers through the manufacturing of the components and construction. The more than 1.3 million solar modules were manufactured by First Solar at its Perrysburg, Ohio facility. The 22,800 tons of structural steel for the entirety of the project is sourced from Gerdau steel mills, located in Midlothian, Texas and Cartersville, Georgia. [caption id="attachment_224662" align="alignnone" width="640"]</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3zKI67_0wEuv02z00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3zKI67_0wEuv02z00" width="960" height="540" ></figure><p><i>U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm signs a plaque at the Oct. 18 ceremony marking the start of commercial operations for the Orion Solar Belt project in Texas. Source: SB Energy</i>[/caption] The Orion Solar Belt also features Nextracker smart solar trackers, with the majority of the components manufactured domestically. SB Energy selected Blattner, a Minnesota-based construction group, to provide the engineering, procurement and construction services for the project. "When it comes to actualizing American jobs and providing power to the world's largest energy users, SB Energy is committed to creating the roadmap," said Rich Hossfeld, co-CEO of SB Energy. "We are thankful for the support from Secretary Jennifer Granholm and the many federal, local, and statewide leaders, as well as Google. We hope the Orion Solar Belt serves as a catalyst for growing investments in a robust American-made supply chain for solar."</p></div></body>

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Major Texas Solar Project Will Power Google's Data Centers, Cloud Operations

A company backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Ares Climate Infrastructure said three solar power of its projects are now online in Texas. SB Energy, a renewable energy group focused on utility-scale installations, said the solar farms—with about 900 MW of combined generation capacity—will support the state's power grid and provide electricity for Google's data centers and its cloud region in the Dallas area. The Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III installations, collectively known as the \"Orion Solar Belt,\" are located in Milam County. SB Energy on October 18 said the projects are expected to qualify for the domestic content bonus credit contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. SB Energy said the solar farms utilize more than 1.3 million American-made modules, along with domestic steel and other U.S.-made components. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined SB Energy officials on Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the Orion project. \"The Biden-Harris Administration envisioned an industrial strategy for clean energy that's built and installed by American workers and powering American companies in proud American communities. This future is seen in action through the Orion Solar Belt in Texas,\" said Granholm. \"This project showcases how American made clean energy can power data centers and our future.\"

A company backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Ares Climate Infrastructure said three solar power of its projects are now online in Texas. SB Energy, a renewable energy group focused on utility-scale installations, said the solar farms—with about 900 MW of combined generation capacity—will support the state's power grid and provide electricity for Google's data centers and its cloud region in the Dallas area. The Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III installations, collectively known as the "Orion Solar Belt," are located in Milam County. SB Energy on October 18 said the projects are expected to qualify for the domestic content bonus credit contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. SB Energy said the solar farms utilize more than 1.3 million American-made modules, along with domestic steel and other U.S.-made components. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined SB Energy officials on Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the Orion project. "The Biden-Harris Administration envisioned an industrial strategy for clean energy that's built and installed by American workers and powering American companies in proud American communities. This future is seen in action through the Orion Solar Belt in Texas," said Granholm. "This project showcases how American made clean energy can power data centers and our future."