Eolian’s proven and enviable track record is evidenced by the successful funding and development of nearly 30 GW of operating or under-construction energy storage, solar, and wind generating capacity throughout the country. Eolian currently operates a growing portfolio of wholly-owned utility-scale battery energy storage projects, and was an early innovator in the development of GW-scale co-located gen+load datacenter and industrial project sites across the US.
What we do
Since 2005, Eolian has been an innovative investor in energy projects, including the invention of the renewable energy royalty structure that has now become an industry standard. In contrast to many firms that raise capital with short-term buy and sell strategies, Eolian and its partners have long-term views of 30+ years. This allows for a unique perspective on energy investing and an alignment with the long-term generation planning perspective of utilities, independent power producers and power market operators.
AI giants learn to share Trump’s zeal for fossil fuels
Meta, X, Microsoft sidestep climate goals as they sprint to power artificial intelligence with new natural gas plants.
February 23, 2025
By: Evan Halper
Tech and energy companies are pushing their ambitious green-energy goals aside and rushing to build natural gas plants across the country, amid escalating demand for power and Washington’s changing political winds.
Clean energy pioneer Microsoft is looking to new gas generation to power a $3.3 billion data center project in Wisconsin. The giant power company NextEra, which during the Biden era unveiled “the most ambitious carbon-emissions-reduction goal ever set by an energy producer” has since the Jan. 20 inauguration been more eager to talk about its plans to expand natural gas generation.
Meta late last year announced a 4-million-square-foot data center in the Louisiana delta, which filings show will be powered by new natural gas turbines. Even the investment company that led a 2021 shareholder revolt at ExxonMobil over its sluggish embrace of cleaner energy, Engine No. 1, is doubling down on fossil fuel expansions to power the explosive growth of artificial intelligence.
The companies are changing course as their need for electricity to expand computing capacity for AI eclipses what they forecast only a couple of years ago. They say they plan to offset their development of natural gas capacity with equal investments in clean energy such as solar and wind power.
Still, it’s a major shift for firms that stood against President Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine green energy initiatives during his first term. With Trump’s return to the White House, they are embracing his fervor for fossil fuels. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at a conference this month that “net zero” emissions goals are “sinister” and threaten to destabilize energy systems.
“This is where politics meets physics,” Dan Brouillette, energy secretary during Trump’s first term, said when asked about the shift by these companies. “The bottom line is that renewable power cannot, will not, with current technology, provide the amount of energy that they want.”
LRE Announces Over 700 MWac of New Solar Projects in Oklahoma Supported by Long-Term Agreements with Google
Significant solar portfolio strengthens LRE’s leadership in renewable energy, supports the increasing demand for energy and furthers energy independence
January 15, 2025 11:52 AM Eastern Standard Time
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LRE (Leeward Renewable Energy), a leading American renewable energy company, today announced over 700-megawatt alternating current (MWac) of renewable energy projects in Oklahoma that are supported in part by long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Google.
These projects are strategically sited to support Google’s data center operations and leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). They will bolster the reliability of Oklahoma’s electric grid by adding renewable capacity that improves stability and diversifies the energy mix, while also supporting national energy independence. This collaboration reinforces LRE’s commitment to delivering innovative solutions that address the evolving energy needs of its partners and the communities where its projects are based.
Construction has begun on the 372-MWac Mayes County Solar Portfolio, located just within one mile from Google’s data center in Pryor, Oklahoma. Together with the Twelvemile Solar Project 1 & 2 (152.5 MWac) and the Twelvemile 3 Solar Project (200 MWac), located in Southern Oklahoma, these projects total 724 MWac of solar capacity in Oklahoma.
LRE purchased the Mayes County Solar Portfolio earlier this year from Red River Renewable Energy, LLC (“Red River”), a joint venture between SunChase Power, LLC (“SunChase”) and Eolian, L.P. The energy generated by the solar portfolio is delivered under firm transmission service to the Grand River Dam Authority (“GRDA”). GRDA plans to utilize the clean energy produced by the projects to support operations at Google’s data center.
“We began development of these energy projects in 2017, intentionally co-locating solar sites adjacent to Google’s data center load at Pryor to directly inject clean electricity into the grid at the point of consumption,” added Aaron Zubaty, CEO of Eolian. “The addition of more than 700 MWac of new solar resources at carefully chosen locations will enable more efficient utilization of the regional transmission network and enhance grid resilience while also directly enabling customer expansion. In a time of growing electricity demand to power our overall economy, these solar projects provide a very tangible and real solution.”
Financially Backed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock
Eolian, L.P. is a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock, a leading infrastructure investor that specializes in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. GIP has grown to be one of the world’s largest infrastructure investors and currently manages $170 billion in assets on behalf of its global investor base. The companies in GIP’s equity portfolios have combined annual revenues of $71 billion and employ approximately 116,000 people. Visit https://www.global-infra.com/ to learn more.
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