Xcel Energy to power new Google data center in Pine Island, Minnesota

A Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC) will provide for 1,400 MW of wind, 200 MW of solar and 300 MW of long-duration energy storage, along with a $50 million investment towards Xcel Energy’s Capacity*Connect Program, which will help drive reliability on the grid. The clean energy resources funded through the agreement include a 300 megawatt (30 gigawatt-hour) Form Energy iron-air battery system installation, the largest battery project by gigawatt-hour energy capacity announced to date in the world. This 100-hour battery system will store energy during periods of high production and low demand and dispatch it to the grid during times of high demand, providing firm capacity and strengthening grid reliability when it is needed most, even over multiple days. The Electric Service Agreement will be filed for review with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in the coming weeks. The MPUC must formally approve the agreement between Xcel Energy and Google to supply power to the site.