Google is partnering with global investment firm KKR to invest roughly $80 million in six utility-scale solar facilities in California and Arizona. This marks the company’s 14th investment in renewable energy projects.

The projects, expected to operational by early 2014, have a combined capacity of 106MW and will generate enough electricity to power over 17,000 U.S. homes, says Google.

The investment is similar to the one Google made in 2011, when the company teamed up with KKR and invested $94 million in four solar facilities developed by Recurrent. Those facilities have since started generating electricity. Google has committed to more than $1 billion for renewable energy projects around the world.

[Image courtesy: Google]