Google's data center to use Form Energy's iron-air batteries
Google's Pine Island data center in Minnesota is set to be the first hyperscale project to contract Form Energy's long-duration 300-megawatt iron-air battery, arriving in 2028.
Built by Form Energy, this tech will help store wind and solar power for days—making the grid more reliable even when the weather isn't playing nice.
How do these batteries work?
These batteries work by "rusting" and "reversible rusting" iron metal in water to store and release energy—no heavy or rare-earth metals and a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte.
They're made mostly from everyday stuff like iron, water, and air, so they're safer for people and the planet.
Iron-air batteries could cost just $20 per kilowatt-hour
Iron-air batteries could cost just $20 per kilowatt-hour (way less than lithium-ion), making clean energy storage much more affordable.
They've also completed UL9540A safety testing that showed no uncontrolled heating, no thermal runaway, and no fire under the simulated fault and abuse conditions tested, and Form says the results confirm the batteries can be deployed without the need for fireproof barriers.