Google plans to deploy a 300 MW/30 GWh iron-air battery system in Minnesota under an agreement with Xcel Energy, along with 1.6 GW of new wind and solar power.
Google has reached a definitive agreement with Xcel Energy to deploy a massive 300 MW/30 GWh iron-air battery system in Pine Island, Minnesota.
The project, which uses technology from Form Energy, will be the largest battery system announced worldwide in terms of energy capacity. It will provide a blueprint for how Big Tech plans to boost intermittent renewables to meet the relentless energy demands of the AI age.
The project is a cornerstone of the new Clean Energy Accelerator agreement, a regulatory framework that will allow Google to directly cover the costs of implementation. Xcel Energy said the framework is designed to ensure that the 100-hour energy storage system (LDES), combined with 1,400 MW of wind energy and 200 MW of solar energy, does not impact the rates of its residential customers.
While lithium-ion batteries are effective for four-hour shifts, they cannot handle multi-day storage. Form Energy said its iron-air batteries can store renewable electricity for 100 hours at a system cost competitive with conventional power plants.
The iron-air battery consists of cells filled with thousands of iron pellets that are exposed to air and cause rust. The oxygen is then removed, turning the rust back into iron. By controlling this process, the battery can be charged and discharged.
The technology has less energy density than its lithium-ion counterparts, making it better suited for large-scale, network-scale applications. Form Energy said an individual battery module is about the size of a side-by-side washer/dryer set and contains a stack of about 50 cells one meter high.
The cells include iron and air electrodes, the parts of the battery that allow the electrochemical reactions to store and discharge electricity. Each of these cells is filled with water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, such as the electrolyte used in AA batteries.
This deployment in Minnesota follows a series of aggressive purchasing actions by Google. Just last month, TotalEnergies has signed 1 GW of solar PPAs to power Google’s data center operations in Texas. Together, these projects illustrate Google’s “all-of-the-above” approach to decarbonization, combining massive solar capacity with the durable hardware needed to keep the lights on all night long.
The timing of the Xcel-Form Energy deal is critical. According to recent market data corporate PPA deals fell 10% by 2025 while general corporate buyers retreated. However, the data center sector, driven by the explosion of AI, is aggressively filling the void.
The iron-air modules will be built at “Form Factory 1” in Weirton, West Virginia. The facility is currently expanding to an annual production capacity of 500 MW and benefits from domestic content bonuses under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
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