Switch, the operator of The Citadel Campus data center, is working with Capital Dynamics to invest $ 1.3 billion in a solar and battery system. The system will be very large-scale, the total capacity of solar power plants will be 555 MW, and the total capacity of the Tesla Megapack "mega-accumulator" is 800 MW * h.
The solar panels will be supplied by First Solar. According to the partners, there will be several “solar power plants + batteries” systems. They will be distributed throughout the state of Nevada, where the level of insolation is very high. One of them will be located near the Reno business park, where the world's largest data center from Switch and Tesla's Gigafabrika are located.
Source: switch
The total capacity of the equipment that can be installed on the Citadel campus is about 650 MW. So far, this limit has not been reached, but the company plans to use alternative energy. So that even with the maximum load on the equipment on the campus, there are no problems with power supply. The area of the campus is 690 thousand m2.
According to Switch's plan, the Tahoe Reno 1 data center will first be supplied with energy and batteries. It consumes about 130 MW. A 127 MW solar power plant and a Tesla battery complex with a capacity of 240 MWh will be built next to it. According to the authors of the project, this complex is intended exclusively for working with the Switch data center, the energy will not be used for any other purposes. The energy cost will be about 5 cents per kWh.
For Megapack batteries, Tesla has previously reported a 60% increase in the energy density of these batteries compared to regular Powerpacks.
The world's largest battery pack installed by Tesla Inc. in South Australia . It provided a 90% reduction in operating costs for the local power grid. Megapack battery packs are specially designed for quick mounting. For example, the same Australian battery was installed in just 100 days. If it had taken longer, Musk would have waived fees for services and equipment.
It looks like a battery complex in Australia
The budget for the new project is $ 1.3 billion. According to the authorities of the state of Nevada, the construction of new facilities will create many new jobs. And this is the stimulation of the local economy of the state.
The project is also profitable for Tesla, since the battery business, judging by the results of the second quarter, brings it good money. The company went into profit in part due to the "battery" division.
Switch is trying to make all of its data centers green. Usually, hydroelectric power plants are built for these purposes, but the operator does not neglect other sources of electricity. Nevada is one of the most profitable states in terms of obtaining solar energy. Solar panels will provide enough energy to supply the data center, and Megapack batteries will smooth out the uneven generation of electricity at different times of the day and year.