Google bets on rust-powered storage as Minnesota data center runs on wind and solar

Google is building a Minnesota data center powered largely by wind and solar (about 1.9 GW) and backed by Form Energy's iron-air long-duration storage (up to 30 GWh for up to 100 hours). The iron-air tech is less efficient (roughly 50–70% round-trip) but cheaper (~$20/kWh), aiding grid stability as renewables dominate. The project also introduces the Clean Energy Accelerator Charge to fast-track clean power investment and distributed storage with Xcel Energy, funded by Google.