Latitude Media: Google is Backing Planted's Plan for Clean Data Center Power

In addition to its investments in enhanced geothermal, long-duration energy storage, and fourth-generation nuclear, Google is betting a very Silicon Valley-type approach to solar can help meet the moment for speed-to-power.

The latest addition to the hyperscaler’s energy investment portfolio, Planted Solar, uses a combination of robots and software to build solar projects more quickly and flexibly. The company, which today announced a $31.8 million Series B, is increasingly focused on projects that are co-located with data centers.

Aside from Google, the investors behind its raise are heavyweights in the energy and climate space, including round co-leaders Piva Capital and RA Capital Management Planetary Health, as well as Open-AI backer Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Gigascale Capital, founded by former Meta executive Mike Schroepfer. Many are repeat investors in Planted.

Planted Solar’s approach to next-generation solar, founder and CEO Eric Brown explained to Latitude Media earlier this year, is both simpler and more high-tech than traditional solar. The company uses software to create a digital twin of the site that includes the precise locations of all components, which are then installed by Planted’s robots — custom-built tracked hydraulic machines that traverse uneven ground and use millimeter-level precision. But Planted’s projects use extremely basic components, including commodity tubing used for posts, and the custom-designed brackets that clip standard, fixed modules into those posts. And its approach means there’s no grading required, which simplifies permitting and speeds up construction.

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