Energy Vault Holdings Inc., a leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, has officially announced a partnership with RackScale Data Centers (RSDC), an emerging data center developer.
According to certain reports, the stated partnership is focused on accelerating the delivery of 2GW of firm, primary power to data center sites developed by RSDC. This it should be able to achieve through the deployment of Energy Vault’s proprietary B-Nest™ hyperscale battery energy storage system. Going by the available details, there are plans in place already to begin construction at these data center sites in 2026.
In case you weren’t aware, the B-Nest™ happens to be a proprietary multi-story structure designed to house batteries for onsite energy storage, serving space-constrained project sites. More on that would reveal how it is capable of storing up to 1.6GWh in energy per acre, as well as representing more than 8X increase in installed site energy density over traditional ground-mounted Battery Energy Storage system (BESS) installations. Such a ultra-high energy density makes it possible the B-Nest to provide each data center with full primary power for 10+ hours.
On top of that, 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 to emerge here would be accelerated data center project development timeline, enabled using rapid delivery of firm power, which will allow RSDC to avoid issues created from the shortage of available grid power seen across the industry.
“With the rapid increase in power demand from the rise of the data center sector, it is absolutely essential that renewable energy generation and storage become key points of focus to power the AI data center boom,” said Marco Terruzzin, Chief Commercial and Product Officer at Energy Vault. “Through our partnership with RackScale Data Centers, we will deliver our revolutionary B-Nest battery energy storage system technology and establish a model for the industry. The safety characteristics, energy density, and economics of the B-Nest solution are ideally suited to meet the needs of the data center market.”
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account how unprecedented demand for new data center construction has, so far, been running into increasingly long wait times when it comes to accessing firm grid power from local utilities. In fact, as utilities start expanding their generation fleets to meet the sudden surge in power demand, data center interconnection wait times can now stretch up to five years or even more.
Another detail contextualizing the importance of such a development is one report from Goldman Sachs Research, a report which estimates that data center power demand will grow a staggering 160% by 2030, driven. At present, data centers worldwide consume 1-2% of overall power, with consumption expected to exceed 4% by the end of the decade.
In response, this partnership between Energy Vault and RSDC packs together a planned deployment of 2GW/20GWh with B-Nest infrastructure that will drive a rapid portfolio build-out. Not just that, it can also be expected to capture supplementary revenue.
Beyond that, by taking part in demand response events during times of system strain, RSDC will try and sustainably stabilize the grid and support local utilities’ efforts to expand renewable power for the data center industry.
“Our partnership with Energy Vault is a powerful catalyst in our mission to develop cutting-edge data centers,” said Trent D’Ambrosio, Chief Executive Officer at RackScale Data Centers. “The B-Nest system’s high energy density and advanced safety design are game-changers for our operations, enabling us to accelerate firm grid power interconnections and onsite generation to meet the needs of our data center sites. We look forward to working closely with Energy Vault to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable energy future.”
Among other things, it must be mentioned that the B-Nest technology in question is actually made to be in accordance with the highest standards for battery and fire safety, all while remaining compliant with permitting requirements to minimize risk and maximize economic returns for customers.
