FACEBOOK BUILDING BIG SOLAR FARM IN WEST TEXAS

» Facebook is building a massive solar farm in West Texas that’s believed to be one of the largest solar projects in the nation and the social media giant’s first direct investment in renewable energy.

Boston- based renewable energy developer Long road Energy recently announced it was partnering with Facebook on the $ 416 million project, just as Facebook is finishing construction of a data center near Albuquerque.

The Prospero Solar project just north of Odessa, Texas, will have a capacity of 379 megawatts, which is enough to power around 72,000 homes based on the national average, the Solar Energy Industries Association said.

The project goes beyond Facebook’s goal to use renewable energy to power its data centers, where the social media giant stores photos, videos and other information that people post on the platform.

Prospero Solar is expected to be completed next year and will take up around 7 square miles.

Shell Energy North America and Facebook will share the power generated by the solar farm.