Google will be the primary electricity buyer for a $350 million solar power plant and storage facility. The complex is being built on a former open-pit coal mine in West Virginia, United States.
Named Mammoth Solar, the plant was designed to increase the availability of clean energy throughout the day and meet the growing energy demand of the company's data centers.
Developed by MN8 Energy, the project will have 86 MW of solar capacity, in addition to a 70 MW/280 MWh lithium-ion storage system, intended for short-term energy storage.
The project will also feature 10 MW/100 MWh of Z3 zinc batteries, manufactured by Eos Energy. This technology is capable of supplying energy for ten hours, allowing the availability of solar generation to be extended to periods without photovoltaic production, such as at night.
Schedule
The solar power plant will be implemented in stages. The project is expected to begin commercial operation in 2028, followed by the lithium-ion battery system in 2029. Long-term energy storage with zinc batteries is planned for 2030.
When fully completed, the project will be connected to the PJM Interconnection, an electrical system that serves states in the Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States.
Google will purchase the energy, capacity, and clean energy attributes associated with the project for a period of 20 years. According to estimates by MN8 Energy, the construction is expected to generate approximately 200 jobs.
The project could also generate approximately $4 million in property tax revenue for the county and local schools during the first 20 years of operation.
Google expands energy contracting for data centers.
The acquisition of energy from Mammoth Solar is not an isolated initiative by Google. The multinational has been expanding long-term agreements to guarantee the electricity supply for its data centers, given the growth of digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence applications.
In July of this year, for example, the company signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the energy produced in the first phase of the Steel River Energy Center, a mega-complex for solar energy and storage that will be built in Arkansas, also in the United States.
Google acquires 100% of the energy from a 1,6 GW solar megaproject in the US.
all the content of Canal Solar is protected by copyright law, and partial or total reproduction of this site in any medium is expressly prohibited. If you are interested in collaborating or reusing part of our material, please contact us by email: redacao@canalsolar.com.br.
Comments
Comments are moderated before publication.Comments should be respectful and contribute to a healthy debate. Offensive comments may be removed. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author. Canal Solar.