Energy Vault and RackScale Data Centers Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Delivery of 2GW of Power to Data Centers

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Energy Vault and RackScale Data Centers Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Delivery of 2GW of Power to Data Centers (Photo: Business Wire)
Energy Vault and RackScale Data Centers Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Delivery of 2GW of Power to Data Centers (Photo: Business Wire)

The partnership will focus on deployment of the Energy Vault B-Nest™, a proprietary hyperscale energy storage solution comprised of a multi-story battery system, for data center sites

The B-Nest™ provides 8X the energy density vs standard battery solutions, enabling space-constrained sites without firm power to accelerate deployment via interruptible utility power contracts while ensuring 24/7 availability

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. & SALT LAKE CITY, December 11, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Energy Vault Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NRGV) ("Energy Vault" or the "Company"), a leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with RackScale Data Centers ("RSDC"), an emerging data center developer. This partnership aims to accelerate the delivery of 2GW of firm, primary power to data center sites developed by RSDC through the deployment of Energy Vault's proprietary B-Nest™ hyperscale battery energy storage system. The parties aim to begin construction at data center sites in 2026.

The B-Nest™ is a proprietary multi-story structure designed to house batteries for onsite energy storage, serving space-constrained project sites. Capable of storing up to 1.6GWh of energy per acre, the B-Nest represents a more than 8X increase in installed site energy density over traditional ground-mounted Battery Energy Storage system (BESS) installations. This ultra-high energy density enables the B-Nest to provide each data center with full primary power for 10+ hours. When paired with an interruptible utility power contract, the B-Nest can ensure full power deliverability to each data center during demand response events. The result is significant acceleration of data center project development timelines enabled by rapid delivery of firm power, allowing RSDC to avoid issues created by the shortage of available grid power seen across the industry.

The unprecedented demand for new data center construction has encountered increasingly long wait times for new facilities to access firm grid power from local utilities. As utilities work to expand their generation fleets to meet the sudden surge in power demand, data center interconnection wait times can now stretch up to five years or more. This challenge presents a severe bottleneck for data center developers and is most acute in urban settings where data center demand and utility grid congestion are at their highest.

The partnership between Energy Vault and RSDC includes the planned deployment of 2GW/20GWh of B-Nest infrastructure that will drive a rapid portfolio build-out, with the ability to capture supplementary revenue through participation in demand response programs with local utilities. By taking part in demand response events during times of system strain, RSDC will also help to stabilize the grid and supports local utilities’ efforts to expand renewable power for the data center industry.