Google on Wednesday unveiled plans to install its first backup battery at a data center, with ambitions to use the project as a test case for grid service applications.
The 3-megawatt, 2-hour-duration battery will be installed at a Google data center in Belgium, a location selected because its market has policies that allow batteries to provide frequency regulation to the grid. Google is already experimenting with load-shifting on a pilot scale.
Google has matched its overall electricity consumption with 100 percent renewable energy purchases since 2017. The battery installation is designed to help Google on its quest to meet round-the-clock electricity demand with carbon-free sources by 2030. In addition to providing clean backup, batteries also have the potential to bring back value, said Maud Texier, Google’s lead for carbon-free energy.