Soluna to Launch First Solar-Powered 75 MW Data Center in Texas, Advancing Sustainable High-Performance Computing
Soluna Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLNH), a leading innovator in green data centers focused on high-intensity computing applications such as Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence (AI), has announced a major milestone in its mission to transform renewable energy into sustainable digital infrastructure. The company has signed a term sheet for power to develop “Project Annie,” its first solar-powered data center. The project will be co-located with a 114-megawatt (MW) solar farm in northeast Texas, marking Soluna’s expansion into solar energy as a cornerstone for its modular computing platforms.
A Strategic Leap into Solar Energy
Project Annie is a 75 MW facility designed to leverage underutilized solar energy for high-performance computing (HPC) tasks, including crypto mining and AI workloads. Co-developed with a prominent U.S. renewable energy operator, the project represents a significant shift in Soluna’s strategy to diversify its energy sources, previously focused predominantly on wind and grid power. This initiative not only supports Soluna’s sustainability goals but also illustrates how renewable energy can be harnessed to power the growing demand for intensive digital computing in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.
John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna, emphasized the importance of this development, stating, “Project Annie is a game-changer. It’s our first project tapping solar energy, and it paves the way for sustainable computing that works in harmony with the sun. We’re proud to honor Annie Easley, a computing and energy pioneer, with a project that merges both worlds.”
Why Solar?
The transition to a solar-powered data center is a natural evolution for Soluna, whose business model thrives on converting wasted or excess renewable energy into useful digital applications. Solar energy, particularly in sunny regions like Texas, presents an abundant and largely untapped source of power that aligns with the company’s ethos of making green energy profitable and practical.
The project’s location in northeast Texas—a state known for its robust energy infrastructure and growing renewable capacity—makes it an ideal testing ground for integrating intermittent solar power with consistent computing workloads. With solar output often exceeding grid demands during peak sunlight hours, Project Annie will help stabilize energy flows by acting as a controllable, demand-side solution that can absorb excess power in real time.
Honoring a Trailblazer: Annie Easley
Continuing its tradition of naming projects after influential women in science and technology, Soluna chose to honor Annie Easley through this project. Easley was one of the first African American women to work as a computer scientist and mathematician at NASA, where she made crucial contributions to energy systems and rocket technologies. The dedication of this project in her name serves as a tribute to her legacy and embodies Soluna’s mission of aligning innovation in computing with progress in clean energy.
A Growing Portfolio of Renewable-Powered Data Centers
Project Annie is the latest addition to Soluna’s rapidly growing pipeline of renewable-powered computing centers. With the addition of this 75 MW project, Soluna’s development portfolio now exceeds 773 MW, spanning across various energy sources and project stages. Below is a snapshot of Soluna’s broader infrastructure footprint:
| Project | Location | Power Source | Size (MW) | Application | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorothy 1A | TX | Wind | 25 | BTC Hosting | Operating |
| Dorothy 1B | TX | Wind | 25 | BTC Mining | Operating |
| Sophie | KY | Grid | 25 | BTC Hosting | Operating |
| Dorothy 2 | TX | Wind | 48 | BTC Hosting | Construction |
| Grace | TX | Wind | 2 | AI Hosting / Cloud | Development |
| Kati | TX | Wind | 166 | BTC / AI or HPC Hosting | Shovel Ready |
| Rosa | TX | Wind | 187 | BTC / AI or HPC Hosting | Development |
| Hedy | TX | Wind | 120 | BTC / AI or HPC Hosting | Development |
| Ellen | TX | Wind | 100 | BTC / AI or HPC Hosting | Development |
| Annie | TX | Solar | 75 | BTC / AI or HPC Hosting | Development |
This growing list of projects reflects Soluna’s strategic direction toward a diverse energy mix, including solar, wind, and grid power. It also reveals the company’s balanced approach to meeting various computational demands—from Bitcoin mining to AI and other high-computing applications.
Next Steps: Power Purchase Agreements and Regulatory Planning
With the term sheet for Project Annie secured, Soluna will now move forward with executing definitive agreements necessary for full project development. This includes finalizing power purchase agreements (PPAs), securing land rights, and coordinating with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for grid integration planning.
Given the complexity of integrating solar energy into a computing facility—especially one that must operate with high reliability and flexibility—these steps are critical to ensuring both economic viability and technological resilience. Soluna’s experience with wind and grid-based systems provides a strong foundation for navigating these next stages effectively.
Implications for the Industry
Soluna’s foray into solar-powered computing is significant not only for the company itself but for the broader tech and energy sectors. As the digital world becomes increasingly reliant on massive computing power—from blockchain technologies to AI and machine learning—sourcing energy sustainably is no longer optional. The environmental footprint of data centers is under increasing scrutiny, and initiatives like Project Annie demonstrate how next-generation data infrastructure can be built with ecological integrity.
Moreover, this project presents a replicable model for other companies looking to optimize excess renewable energy. By demonstrating that computing workloads can be co-located with renewable assets and dynamically scaled to match power availability, Soluna is setting a precedent for energy-conscious computing at scale.
A Broader Vision for the Future
Soluna’s mission to make renewable energy a foundational element of the digital economy is gaining momentum. Project Annie serves as both a technological benchmark and a symbol of the company’s commitment to innovation that serves both business and planetary interests. As the company continues to expand its development pipeline, including projects that combine energy storage, AI, and scalable computing, Soluna’s integrated approach could become a blueprint for clean, adaptive infrastructure in the 21st century.
