Google’s new 1.9GW clean energy deal includes a massive 100-hour battery

Google he announced Tuesday that it will build a data center in Minnesota that is supported by 1.9 gigawatts of clean energy, including a large 300-megawatt battery produced by startup Form Energy.

The new data center, Google’s first in Minnesota, will be located on Pine Island, about an hour southeast of Minneapolis.

The technology company is working with Xcel Energy to develop 1.4 megawatts of wind power and 200 megawatts of solar power. All will feed the Form battery, which will be able to provide its rated power for 100 hours. At 30 gigawatt-hours, it will be the largest battery in the world, helping data centers to use clean energy for a long time.

Such long-term batteries enable renewable energy sources to continue to provide power at night or during off-hours, “strengthening” the energy source, as experts call it. Grid-scale lithium-ion batteries do this before, even for short periods of time.

Form Energy batteries it is different from many other grid-scale batteries. Although today’s electric car battery uses lithium-ion technology that has been recycled from the factories used by the car industry, Form batteries conserve energy by rusting and releasing metal.

As the oxygen from the air flows over the metal plates inside the battery, it corrodes, releasing electricity. During charging, the electric current oxidizes the rust, turning it into metal and releasing oxygen, which is released into the battery.

As far as battery chemistries go, Form’s iron-air cells are heavy and inefficient. Metal-air batteries can only provide 50% to 70% of the energy used to charge them, compared to more than 90% for lithium-ion batteries. But for all their challenges, they come with one huge advantage: they are very affordable. Formula says 1 kilowatt-hour of storage will eventually cost only $20 using their technology, which is three times cheaper than lithium-ion batteries.

The new project also reintroduces a wonky fee system in Minnesota that was intended to help utilities use technology without damaging their regulators, which forced utilities to use less expensive electricity.

Google developed the concept in Nevada, where it is buying energy from Fervo’s renewable energy startup. The agreement between Google and Xcel is also called “clean transition tariff” or “clean energy accelerator charges,” the agreement between Google and Xcel allows the company to accept projects that may be considered dangerous by the authorities, the technology company is paying a lot of money to ensure that those who pay regularly are not left with a wallet.

Solar and wind are both proven technologies, but Form’s metal batteries are still relatively new. The first primary battery is being installed here in Minnesota by a project in partnership with Great River Energy, and it will store 150 megawatts for 100 hours, sending 1.5 megawatts to the grid at peak.

Form makes its batteries at a factory in West Virginia. The company has raised $1.4 billion to date, according to PitchBook data.