'World's Largest Battery' Soon At Google Data Center: 100-Hour Iron-Air Storage

Source: Slashdot

Google Data Center Battery Project

• Google will build a new data center in Pine Island, Minnesota.
• The facility will be powered by 1.9 GW of clean energy from wind and solar.
• It will include a 300 MW battery claimed to be the world’s largest, with a 30 GWh capacity and 100‑hour duration.
• This planned battery would dwarf a 19 GW lithium‑ion project in the UAE.

Form Energy Iron‑Air Batteries

• Form Energy’s batteries store electricity by converting iron to rust and then reversing the rusting process, rather than using lithium.
• Iron‑air batteries are heavier and have lower round‑trip efficiency (≈ 50 %–70 %) compared with > 90 % for lithium‑ion batteries.
• They are significantly cheaper, costing about $20 per kWh of storage—roughly three times cheaper than lithium‑ion.
• A 150 MWh system can supply the grid for up to 100 hours, delivering about 1.5 MW at peak output.

Source: Interesting Engineering; shared by Slashdot user schwit1.