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Google has announced plans to build what is expected to become the world’s largest long-duration battery system alongside a renewable-powered data center in Minnesota.
The project, revealed in late February 2026, will combine wind and solar generation with a massive iron-air battery capable of delivering electricity continuously for up to 100 hours.
The facility will be located near Pine Island, south of Minneapolis, and developed in partnership with utility provider Xcel Energy.
The initiative aims to ensure uninterrupted power for hyperscale computing operations while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
At the center of the project is a 300-megawatt battery system built by startup Form Energy, designed to store renewable energy for multiple days.
“This is the largest announced energy storage project in the world.” Mateo Jaramillo, co-founder and CEO of Form Energy, said.
The announcement highlights a growing convergence between renewable energy innovation and the rising electricity demands of data-intensive industries.
Energy reliability remains one of the biggest operational risks for large-scale computing from artificial intelligence workloads to cryptocurrency mining farms.
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are cheaper and cleaner but intermittent, creating supply gaps when weather conditions change.
Google’s solution is long-duration storage. The iron-air battery works through a reversible rusting process: oxygen interacts with iron to release electrons during discharge, then reverses during charging.
This chemistry allows electricity storage lasting several days at significantly lower cost than lithium-ion systems.
The Minnesota project will integrate:
Together, these resources are designed to keep the data center running even during prolonged cloudy or low-wind periods.
This development matters because energy costs and uptime directly influence mining profitability and blockchain infrastructure resilience.
Long-duration storage could enable mining or compute facilities to operate on renewable energy without sacrificing reliability historically a major barrier to green crypto operations.
Industry analysts noted, emphasizing its role in maintaining continuous electricity supply during multi-day stress events.
Google is reportedly paying close to $1 billion for the battery deployment, making it one of the largest commercial bets yet on emerging storage technology.
Unlike lithium-ion batteries derived from electric-vehicle technology, iron-air systems prioritize affordability over efficiency.
Iron is abundant and inexpensive, allowing storage costs estimated at roughly one-tenth those of lithium-based alternatives, according to project details.
The agreement also introduces an innovative financing mechanism known as a clean energy accelerator charge, allowing Google to fund experimental clean-energy infrastructure without transferring costs to residential electricity customers.
Under this structure, Google effectively pays a premium to encourage utilities to adopt newer technologies regulators might otherwise consider too risky.
Energy analysts view this as a potential template for future hyperscale infrastructure financing, particularly relevant for crypto companies increasingly pressured to demonstrate sustainability.
The project arrives as global electricity demand from data centers surges, driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain networks.
Traditional grids often struggle to accommodate these energy loads without fossil-fuel backup.
Google’s approach suggests a new model: pairing renewable generation with multiday storage to deliver what energy planners call firm capacity, or reliable power comparable to conventional baseload plants.
“That 100-hour duration is what’s required to provide true, firm capacity into the system.”
Jaramillo explained, noting that extreme weather events frequently create multi-day energy gaps renewables alone cannot cover.
The battery, expected to come online around 2028, could supply enough electricity to power more than 200,000 homes when dispatched, underscoring its scale.
If successful, Google’s Minnesota deployment could accelerate adoption of long-duration storage globally, potentially lowering energy volatility and opening new regions to sustainable digital infrastructure development.
Renewable-powered compute may reduce regulatory risk for blockchain operations.
Long-duration batteries could stabilize electricity pricing for energy-intensive businesses.
Hyperscaler investments often signal future infrastructure standards later adopted across industries.
In short, while the project is framed as a clean-energy milestone, it may ultimately reshape how the next generation of crypto, AI, and cloud systems are powered.
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