Form Energy to Deploy 30 GWh Iron Battery System for Google Data Center

Form Energy is set to deploy a 30 gigawatt-hour (GWh) iron battery system at a Google data center in Minnesota, projected to be operational between 2028 and 2031. This system could become the world's largest battery project by energy capacity, surpassing existing installations. The first commercial deployment of Form Energy's technology will be a 150 megawatt-hour (MWh) project for Great River Energy, expected to go online in 2027.

The company, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, has raised over $2 billion in funding. Form Energy currently has a production capacity of 2 gigawatt-hours per year, with agreements in place to scale this to 80 gigawatt-hours. The target cost for their battery systems is $20 per kilowatt-hour, aiming to compete with natural gas alternatives.

The energy storage system at the Google data center will require land equivalent to at least 75 football fields, reflecting the scale of the proposed installation. Form Energy's technology promises a battery storage duration of up to 100 hours, which could significantly enhance energy reliability for large-scale applications. This follows recent developments in AI data center cooling solutions by LG Electronics, indicating a trend towards integrating advanced energy storage in data center operations.