Meta added a 144 MW Texas solar farm to its Apex deals, taking the green certificates while the grid gets the power
Apex Clean Energy and Meta signed a PPA for Starling Solar in Gonzales County, Texas, lifting their joint portfolio to 1.2 GW across seven projects. Meta gets all environmental attributes. Operation due in 2027 per Apex; the ERCOT queue lists 28 January 2028.
Most big tech solar deals do not send electrons to a data centre. They buy the green claim for power that flows into the grid.
Utility Dive reported on 17 September 2026 that Apex Clean Energy and Meta signed a power purchase agreement for Starling Solar, a 144 MW project in Gonzales County, Texas. Meta will receive all environmental attributes. The deal takes Apex and Meta's joint portfolio to 1.2 GW across seven projects.
Apex says commercial operation is expected in 2027. ERCOT's queue report lists 28 January 2028. The structure of the deal was not disclosed.
Analogy: it is a company paying a farmer to grow apples and keeping the organic label, while the apples go to the local market.
Good: corporate demand keeps funding new solar in Texas. Each deal like this adds supply to the same grid commercial users buy from.
Bad: no storage is mentioned. A solar-only deal does nothing for the evening peak.
Ugly: the dates differ between Apex and the ERCOT queue. A buyer counting on the start date gets a better read from the queue than from the press release.
Source: Utility Dive, 17 Sep 2026 - Meta, Apex Clean Energy sign 144 MW Texas solar PPA.