Google is making a long-term investment on a problem that is progressively confronting the technology industry, which is how to power artificial intelligence and data centers around the clock without relying on fossil fuels, or a more-and-more strained electricity grid. The company has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement for a planned $350 million solar-and-battery project in West Virginia. This is a deal that goes pass just buying renewable electricity. It represents a strategic investment in new forms of energy storage, domestic manufacturing and the economics of securing reliable power, for the next generation of digital infrastructure.
The project is being developed, owned and operated by clean-energy company – MN8 Energy, is planned on roughly 500 acres of reclaimed former open-pit of coal-mining land. It will connect to the PJM electricity market, one of the largest power grids in the United States, and is expected to supply electricity associated with Google’s regional data-center operations. The project carries a powerful symbolism to West Virginia, because it is on a land that was once associated with coal extraction, and now it is being repositioned as an asset in America’s emerging clean-energy economy. From coal country to the data economy.
The development is expected to combine 86 megawatts of solar generation, with battery storage capable of running electricity in the night time when the sun is down. This includes approximately 280 megawatt-hours of lithium-iron-phosphate storage for shorter-duration needs and a planned 100 MWh zinc-based long-duration battery system, with 10 MW of output capacity designed to provide as much as 10 hours of continuous electricity. The zinc system is expected to use technology supplied by Pennsylvania-based Eos Energy Enterprises, which gives the project another strategic dimension of the localization of the battery supply chain.
The United States is trying to build more domestic manufacturing capacity for batteries and other clean-energy equipment, reducing exposure to globally concentrated supply chains. Technologies based on abundant materials such as zinc, can therefore become attractive beyond their technical characteristics, because they can potentially reduce exposure to geopolitical disruptions, import costs and supply-chain volatility.
Curiously, why Google does need batteries that last after sunset. Google’s electricity strategy is being transformed by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. Traditional cloud computing already requires enormous amounts of electricity. AI has accelerated that demand, with more powerful data centers requiring dense computing capacity and dependable electricity supplies. So as much as solar power can provide low-cost electricity during daylight hours, there is a need to solve the overnight demanding challenge too. That is where long-duration storage, comes into the equation.
Lithium-ion batteries is the dominant technology for many energy-storage applications, because of their high energy density and relatively strong round-trip efficiency. But using Lithium-ion for very long periods can become more expensive, because builders will have to increase storage capacity amongst other accessories; and of cause, the eventuality of battery replacement. These will all add-up to the lifetime costs of the alternative energy infrastructure.
Continue reading with Eandel
Subscribe to unlock the complete story and receive your subscriber benefits.
