Google To Source Solar Power For Planned Putnam Data Center

Google announced in March the purchase of land near the Putnam County town of Buffalo to develop a data center. According to a website launched in June to provide updates on the project, the proposal includes a state-of-the-art, hyperscale data center campus of up to eight data center buildings fully served by the grid through Appalachian Power Company. 

In a press release Wednesday power platform MN8 said they will provide 86 megawatts of renewable energy to the tech company’s data centers in the region.  

MN8 is the owner and operator of the Mammoth Solar project built on a reclaimed coal mine in Kanawha County and approved by the West Virginia Public Service Commission last November. The solar project is expected to reach commercial operation in 2028, delivering its power to Google through the PJM grid.  

“This project reflects what MN8 does best: understanding a customer’s unique energy profile and building a solution around it,” Jon Yoder, President and CEO of MN8 Energy said. “Because Google was willing to pair next-generation storage with utility-scale solar, we could engineer proven and emerging technologies into one dispatchable resource – and deliver clean, around-the-clock power where the grid needs it most.” 

To deliver around-the-clock power the project plans to use 70 MW of lithium-ion battery storage and 10 megawatts of zinc-based long-duration battery storage from Eos Energy Enterprises.  

MN8 estimates the project represents up to $350 million in capital investment and is expected to create approximately 200 jobs, with additional full- and part-time roles supporting the project throughout its operating life. 

“At Google, we’re committed to backing solutions that both serve our data center capacity needs and accelerate progress toward cleaner, more affordable energy systems,” said Lucia Tian, Director, Advanced Energy Technologies at Google. “This collaboration with MN8 and Eos aims to deploy a smart portfolio of round-the-clock technology solutions to help power our digital infrastructure, while creating meaningful economic benefits for West Virginia.”