in the works

Houston-based renewable energy developer to power Google with Texas solar project

The Texas solar project is expected to go online in 2026. Photo via elawan.com

A Spanish renewable power company with its United States headquarters in Houston has struck a corporate power purchase agreement with Google.

Elawan Energy, announced that it will supply renewable energy to Google under a PPA for the energy generated by a 37 megawatts defined conditions solar project located in the Texas Hill Country.

The PPA deal was facilitated through LEAP (LevelTen Energy’s Accelerated Process), which was co-developed by Google and LevelTen Energy. The goal is to source and execute clean energy PPAs more efficiently. All of this will contribute to Google’s 2030 goal to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid where it operates.

Elawan, which has local development teams with offices in Houston, is working to expand its presence in North America by reinforcing its commitment to providing clean energy solutions. The company is part of the ORIX Group, and specializes in the development and operation of wind and solar power plants in 15 countries.

Elawan Energy and ORIX currently manage an operational portfolio of over 300 megawatts across ERCOT, SPP, and PJM regions. Elawan operates 1.8 gigawatts of renewable energy projects and has approximately 8 gigawatts under development.

The current solar project is in an advanced stage of development. The commercial operations are expected to commence in 2026.

Earlier this year, Google reported that it plans to spend more than $1 billion to support its cloud and data center infrastructure and expand its commitment to clean energy.

For the first time, Texas has outpaced California as the top state for new solar energy, according to American Clean Power Association's recent quarterly market report. The Lone Star State added 1.6 gigawatts of new solar, the report found.

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A View From HETI

Texas ranked in the bottom half on WalletHub's list of the most energy-efficient states. Photo via unsplash.

Texas has room to improve when it comes to energy efficiency, recent data from WalletHub shows.

The personal finance website ranked Texas at No. 35 on the latest Most & Least Energy-Efficient States list. Texas improved by one spot on the 2025 report, after coming in at No. 36 last year.

The report measured and ranked the efficiency of auto energy and home energy consumption in the 48 U.S. mainland states based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Climatic Data Center, U.S. Energy Information Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration.

Texas earned an overall score of 50.60. It was ranked No. 27 for home energy efficiency and No. 41 for auto efficiency. By comparison, No. 1-ranked Vermont earned a score of 85.30, ranking No. 2 for home energy and No. 6 for out energy.

The top five overall states included:

  • No. 1 Vermont
  • No. 2 California
  • No. 3 Washington
  • No. 4 New York
  • No. 5 Massachusetts

South Dakota earned the top rank for home energy efficiency, and Massachusetts earned the top rank for energy efficiency.

“Energy efficiency doesn’t just help save the planet – it also helps save you money by lowering the amount of electricity, gas, oil or other types of energy you need to consume. While there are some steps you can take to become more energy-efficient on your own, living in the right area can give you a big boost," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "For example, certain states have much better public transportation systems that minimize your need to drive, at least in big cities. Some places also have better-constructed buildings that retain heat better during the winter or stay cooler during the summer.”

According to the report, some progress is being made in increasing energy efficiency across the country. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects 26 percent of electricity generation in 2026 will come from renewables. A number of them are being developed in the Houston area, including recent announcements like the Pleasure Island Power Collective in Port Arthur.

Still, Houston earned an abysmal ranking on WalletHub's greenest cities in the U.S. report earlier this year, coming in at No. 99 out of 100. Read more here.

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