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Meta has announced two energy partnerships to deliver reliable power for its AI infrastructure and data centres' needs "by advancing innovative energy generation and storage".
In a blog post titled 'Powering AI, Strengthening the Grid: Innovation in Space Solar Energy and Long-Duration Storage," Meta said it is partnering with Overview Energy to bring up to 1 GW of space solar energy to Earth. Meta, a US-based multinational technology conglomerate, also said it is partnering with Noon Energy to deploy up to 1 GW/100 GWh of ultra-long-duration energy storage enabling 24/7 clean, reliable power for its next-generation AI data centers. The blog post on the company's website noted that the existing clean energy technologies have limits, as solar depends on sunlight and wind depends on the weather. The technology conglomerate said it is partnering with Overview Energy to bring "up to 1 GW of space solar energy" to Earth. The company said this will help increase the capacity of existing solar farms by enabling energy production around the clock. Explaining the technology, Meta said Overview Energy's satellites will sit in geosynchronous orbit above Earth, where sunlight is constant, and will collect energy in space before beaming it to Earth-based solar facilities. "This means solar farms that currently sit idle at night can keep producing electricity around the clock," Meta said in the blog. The company said the partnership makes Meta one of the first major technology companies to secure a capacity reservation for space solar energy. Referring to the other partnership, Meta said Noon Energy's technology can provide "over 100 hours of energy storage", which is far beyond what lithium-ion batteries currently deliver. Under the partnership, Meta has reserved "up to 1 GW/100 GWh" of ultra-long-duration energy storage capacity, with an initial pilot demonstration project expected to be completed in 2028. Meta said this technology will provide grid resilience and enable baseload energy to support its AI infrastructure around the clock. The company said that both technologies are still early, but noted they are worth backing because they can help unlock more from existing infrastructure and store energy for days at a time. (ANI)
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