On October 18, SB Energy Global, LLC announced that the Orion Solar Belt, which includes the Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III solar projects, has reached the commercial operation stage. The Orion Solar Belt is located in Milam County, Texas, and totals 875 MWdc of energy capacity.
SB Energy reports that it prioritizes American-made components, and the project implemented steel and solar modules manufactured in the United States.
Rich Hossfeld, Co-CEO of SB Energy, said the company hopes that the Orion Solar Belt acts as a catalyst for growing investments in an American-based solar supply chain.
“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 Hossfeld in a press release. “We are thankful for the support from U.S. Secretary of Energy 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.”
SB Energy has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Google, and energy from the project will power Google’s Ellis County data centers and its Dallas cloud region.
Ben Sloss, vice president of 24x7 & Capacity at Google, called the company’s data centers a major economic engine for 21st-century business.
“Our goal is to make sure that the services and products that people and customers use every day are powered by reliable carbon-free energy around the clock,” said Sloss. “We’re thrilled SB Energy’s Orion Solar Belt is coming online, helping build a stronger future for communities and Google in Texas.”
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Hayden Beeson
Hayden Beeson is a writer and editor with over seven years of experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, he was the associate editor of Architectural SSL and LEDs Magazine.