Google Solar Project

Google, MN8 Energy, and Eos Energy Enterprises have agreed to develop an integrated solar and energy storage project in West Virginia. The project will supply clean, dispatchable power to the PJM grid, including Google's data centre operations in the region. According to the companies, the project will combine 86MW of utility-scale solar PV, 10MW/100MWh of Eos' zinc-based long-duration energy storage, and 70MW/280MWh of lithium-ion battery storage.

Project Details

The project is expected to reach commercial operation in phases, with the solar plant starting in 2028, followed by the lithium-ion battery in 2029 and the LDES system in 2030. This will be the first commercial-scale LDES deployment in West Virginia. MN8 Energy said the project has been designed as a single dispatchable resource, combining short- and long-duration storage with solar generation to better match the electricity demand profile of data centres.

Energy Storage

The project will use a combination of lithium-ion and zinc-based long-duration energy storage. The zinc-based storage systems will be manufactured by Eos in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This technology is part of Google's wider programme to support the commercialisation of LDES and add new electricity generation capacity to the grids where it operates.

Economic Benefits

The project is expected to represent up to US$350 million in capital investment, according to MN8. The construction is expected to create around 200 jobs locally. The project will be built on a reclaimed coal mine, bringing new economic activity to the area. As Jon Yoder, president and CEO of MN8 Energy, said, the project reflects the company's ability to understand a customer's unique energy profile and build a solution around it.

Project Partners

The project brings together US-based supply chains, with Eos manufacturing its zinc-based storage systems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while MN8 operates a portfolio of energy projects across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. New York-headquartered MN8 has more than 4GW of operating and under-construction renewable assets across 29 states. The company recently reached commercial operations at two utility-scale solar PV plants totalling 260MW in the US. The project is a significant development in the renewable energy sector, with Google purchasing the project's energy, capacity, and clean energy attributes under the agreement.