xAI Proposes Small Solar Array Near Colossus as Turbine Concerns Continue

Elon Musk’s AI firm xAI told city and county planners in Memphis that it plans to build a solar array next to its Colossus data center. The site would cover 88 acres on the west and south sides of the facility.

A nearby 136 acre vacant lot owned by the same developer also borders the area. At that scale the solar array would likely generate about 30 MW of power, roughly 10 percent of the data center’s estimated need.

The company faces criticism over its current use of gas turbines. The Southern Environmental Law Center says xAI has run more than 400 MW of natural gas turbines without the proper permits. The group, working with the NAACP, also contends that at least 35 turbines on site can emit more than 2,000 tons of NOX each year. NOX contributes to smog and can harm breathing.

Local residents in Boxtown, a mostly Black neighborhood close to the data center, have opposed the turbines. A University of Tennessee, Knoxville study found peak nitrogen dioxide levels rose by 79 percent in areas near the site after xAI began operations. Community members report more asthma and breathing problems since the facility opened.

xAI says it plans to keep using turbines until it can secure more power. Local officials have issued a permit allowing 15 turbines to operate through January 2027.

In September the company announced a larger clean energy plan. That plan calls for a 100 MW solar farm paired with 100 MW of grid scale batteries to supply continuous power. The solar project’s developer, Seven States Power Corporation, received $439 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including a $414 million interest free loan.

The federal award drew attention because some other clean energy grants and loans were canceled under the Trump administration at the EPA and the Department of Energy. Meanwhile xAI has also added gas turbines in Mississippi to power its Colossus 2 data center. So far 59 turbines are on site and the company counts 18 of them as temporary, a status that means regulators may not track their pollution the same way.