Google-backed solar project opens in Texas and is one of the largest in the US

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One of the largest solar projects in the U.S. opened in Texas on Friday, backed by what Google said is the largest solar electricity purchase it has ever made. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who attended, said the solar project is a posterchild for the administration's efforts to incentivize manufacturers and developers to locate energy projects in the U.S. “Sometimes when you are in the middle of history, it’s hard to tell, because you are in the middle of it,” she said. Google, Amazon and Microsoft have all recently announced investments in nuclear energy to power data centers, too, as the tech giants seek new sources of carbon-free electricity to meet surging demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. Google will use about 85% of the project’s solar power for data centers in Ellis County and for cloud computing in the Dallas region.