Internet Giant Google announced that they will be investing $168 million in a solar energy power plant being developed in the Mojave Desert by the startup BrightSource Energy. The funds will go towards the completion of the humongous, Ivanpah solar power tower plant in the Mojave Desert now under construction.

Three years ago, Google.org invested $10 million, and took an equity stake in BrightSource. This deal hailed from Google’s Green Business Operations team, however, and the funds are to be applied towards the completion of the Ivanpah project not Brightsource’s overall business, a Google spokesman confirmed.

Director of ‘green business operations’ Google Rick Needham said, with the investment makes business sense and will help to ensure one of the projects the world’s largest solar energy has been completed. Rick Needham, wrote more about the company’s reasons for investing in this project in an official company blog post.

According to the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS) is expected to be operational for 25 years after completion around 2013, and is expected to generate 392 gross megawatts of solar energy. BrightSource’s website notes that Ivanpah, when completed, is expected to almost double the amount of solar thermal electricity produced in the U.S. today.