Google is helping bring cutting-edge battery tech to an old West Virginia strip mine
For decades, a sprawling site in West Virginia was mined for coal, and part of the operation is still active. But on a 500-acre section abandoned 20 years ago, something new is taking shape: a clean-energy project pairing solar power with cutting-edge battery technology that could help renewables deliver electricity around the clock. The $350 million project, called Mammoth Solar, will sell…
In an old West Virginia strip mine, Google is helping bring cutting-edge battery technology to a clean-energy project. The $350 million Mammoth Solar project, which will sell energy to Google, is the first development where the tech giant will rely on zinc batteries. These emerging long-duration batteries can store electricity for 10 hours, providing a solution for storing renewable energy beyond the capacity of lithium-ion batteries.
MN8 Energy, a company partnered with Google to build and operate the plant, says that zinc batteries offer high round-trip efficiency and use sustainable, abundant materials. This makes them a more resilient choice compared to traditional lithium-based systems. The project, which will break ground in 2027, will include 86 megawatts of solar panels by 2028, 70 megawatts of lithium-ion storage by 2029, and 10 megawatts of zinc batteries in 2030.
While the zinc technology is still relatively new, this small portion of the project will allow MN8 and Google to assess its real-world performance and inform future developments.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
