Google’s 1.9GW Clean Energy Deal Features 100-Hour Battery
▼ Summary
– Google is building its first Minnesota data center in Pine Island, backed by 1.9 gigawatts of clean power and a 300-megawatt battery from Form Energy.
– The project includes a world-record 30 gigawatt-hour battery that can deliver power for 100 hours, enabling longer clean energy operation for the data center.
– Form Energy’s battery uses a unique iron-air chemistry that stores energy through rusting and deoxidizing iron, differing from typical lithium-ion grid batteries.
– While less efficient than lithium-ion, the iron-air battery technology is significantly cheaper, with a projected cost of $20 per kilowatt-hour of storage.
– Google is using a special utility fee structure with Xcel Energy, similar to one in Nevada, to finance this clean energy project without burdening regular ratepayers.
Google is making a major move into Minnesota with a new data center powered by a groundbreaking clean energy package. The facility, located in Pine Island, will be supported by 1.9 gigawatts of renewable power, featuring a landmark partnership with startup Form Energy to deploy a 300-megawatt battery capable of discharging for 100 hours. This massive 30-gigawatt-hour system is poised to become the world’s largest battery, enabling the data center to run on clean energy for extended periods, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
The energy portfolio is being developed in collaboration with Xcel Energy and includes 1.4 gigawatts of wind power and 200 megawatts of solar generation. These renewable sources will directly feed the Form Energy battery, which utilizes a novel iron-air chemistry. Unlike conventional grid-scale lithium-ion batteries, Form’s technology stores energy through a reversible rusting process. Air is introduced to oxidize iron pellets, releasing electricity. To recharge the system, an electrical current reverses the reaction, converting the rust back to pure iron.
This iron-air approach trades some efficiency for dramatically lower cost. While lithium-ion batteries often achieve over 90% round-trip efficiency, iron-air systems typically range from 50% to 70%. The compelling advantage is economics: Form Energy projects its technology can deliver storage at roughly $20 per kilowatt-hour, a price point that undercuts lithium-ion alternatives by at least a factor of three. This cost-effectiveness makes very long-duration storage, crucial for firming up renewable generation, financially viable.
The project also introduces an innovative financial structure to Minnesota’s energy landscape. Known as a clean transition tariff or clean energy accelerator charge, this model was first pioneered by Google in Nevada. The agreement allows Xcel Energy to invest in newer technologies like Form’s batteries, with Google covering any cost premiums. This shields ordinary utility customers from potential financial risk while accelerating the adoption of emerging clean tech that might otherwise be deemed too speculative by regulators.
Form Energy’s technology is progressing from demonstration to deployment. Its first commercial battery, a 150-megawatt-hour system for cooperative utility Great River Energy, is currently being installed in Minnesota. The company manufactures its batteries at a facility in West Virginia and has secured significant funding, with total venture capital raised reaching approximately $1.4 billion according to industry data. This Minnesota project represents a critical scale-up, blending established renewables with cutting-edge, long-duration storage to create a more resilient and sustainable power solution for major infrastructure.
(Source: TechCrunch)
