Google announced earlier this week that it is building a new data center in Minnesota. This facility will be powered by a combination of wind, solar, and a unique battery built by startup Form Energy, which is capable of discharging electricity for days on end.
The price tag for this electrochemical engineering feat is about one billion dollars, according to a report. Form Energy’s massive iron-air battery can deliver a continuous 300 megawatts of electricity over 100 hours. It operates on a principle of breathing; oxygen pumped into the cells rusts iron, which releases electrons. This battery will work to smooth the flow of electrons from 1.4 gigawatts of wind power and 200 megawatts of solar power.
The startup has been developing this technology for years and has built a factory in West Virginia to produce the batteries. However, it had not secured a major customer until this recent deal with Google.
With this large order now on the books, Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo stated that his company is in the process of raising a 500 million dollar funding round. To date, Form Energy has raised 1.4 billion dollars. The company plans to go public next year.