Switch, the operator of The Citadel Campus data center, together with Capital Dynamics, plan to invest $1.3 billion in creating a system of solar power plants and battery storage. The system will be quite large, with a total capacity of solar power plants reaching 555 MW, and the overall capacity of the Tesla Megapack âmega-batteryâ reaching 800 MWh.
The solar panels will be supplied by First Solar. According to the partners, there will be several systems of âsolar power plants + batteriesâ. They will be distributed across the state of Nevada, where the insulation level is quite high. One of them will be located near the Reno business park, which hosts the largest data center in the world operated by Switch and the Tesla Gigafactory.
Source: switch
The total equipment capacity that can be installed on the Citadel campus is around 650 MW. So far, this limit has not been reached, but the company plans to utilize renewable energy sources to avoid any issues with power supply even during peak loads on the equipment at the campus. The area of the campus is 690,000 mÂČ.
According to the plan, Switch will initially provide energy and batteries for the Tahoe Reno 1 data center. It consumes about 130 MW. A solar power plant with a capacity of 127 MW and a Tesla battery storage complex with a capacity of 240 MWh will be built nearby. According to the project authors, this complex is intended solely for the operation of the Switch data center; the energy will not be used for any other purposes. The energy cost will be about 5 cents per kWh.
As for the Megapack batteries, Tesla previously announced a 60% increase in energy density for these batteries compared to the regular Powerpack.
The largest battery in the world is installed by Tesla Inc. . It has led to a 90% reduction in operating costs for the local electricity grid. Megapack battery complexes are specifically designed for rapid installation. For example, the aforementioned Australian battery was installed in just 100 days. Had it taken longer, Musk would have waived fees for services and equipment.
This is what the battery complex looks like in Australia
The budget for the new project is $1.3 billion. According to the authorities in the state of Nevada, the construction of new facilities will create a multitude of new jobs. This will stimulate the local economy of the state.
For Tesla, the project is also beneficial, as the battery business has been generating good revenue, judging by the second quarter results. The company turned a profit partly due to its "battery" division.
The company Switch is making efforts to ensure all its data centers. Typically, hydropower plants are built for these purposes, but the operator also does not disregard other sources of electricity. Nevada is one of the most advantageous states in terms of obtaining solar energy. Solar panels will provide sufficient energy to supply the data center, and Megapack batteries will smooth out the irregularities in electricity generation at different times of the day and year.
Source: habr.com
