________________________________________________________________________________________________ Energy Storage
Managing these aggressive power swings requires a battery chemistry capable of very high-rate charge and discharge cycles – sodium-ion, high-rate lithium iron phosphate cells, or lithium titanium oxide, potentially in conjunction with supercapacitators for highfrequency hybrid cycling.
Outside the data hall, battery backup provides short-term grid resilience or works alongside onsite generation, like gensets or turbines, to reduce grid dependence. Some jurisdictions may mandate this so the grid can prioritize residential consumption during high-demand periods, ensuring people can run air conditioners or charge EVs. Lithium-ion or sodium-ion batteries could both provide enough battery ride-through in this case.
Data centers powered by wind or solar present another opportunity for ESS. Storage can bridge the gap after sundown or firm wind generation. Either lithium-ion or a flow battery could last for eight or more hours without sunlight.
Depending on the data center’ s specific requirements, all of these battery chemistries could have a play.
Grid-scale storage
Despite renewed interest in fast-acting, shortduration storage, grid-scale ESS remains the largest segment of the energy storage market, and it continues to grow.
Developers are deploying bigger batteries to shift renewable energy, manage peak demand, and support reliability. In addition to the expansion of four- to six-hour lithium-ion systems, long-duration energy storage( LDES) will become more prevalent as systems need to discharge for eight hours or more to support monthly, seasonal, or emergency needs.
Lithium-ion currently leads in stationary storage, combining manufacturing scale, extensive field experience and an established supply chain, with well-characterized performance across a range of applications.
However, newer chemistries may offer advantages for fast-acting, long-duration or high-temperature use cases.
Flow batteries can support durations of six or eight-plus hours and scale economically by sizing electrolyte tanks instead of adding more cells. Sodium-ion batteries can operate in data center environments up to 45-55 degrees Celsius without active cooling, cutting BESS costs and energy use.
As ESS projects grow larger, bankability becomes key for selecting a battery technology. Most projects are still predominantly contracted to lithium sources because of project economics and the risk tolerance of insurers and financiers around less-established chemistries.
Highly accelerated life testing can demonstrate whether new technologies will perform over expected lifetimes, but nothing compares to actual performance in the field. Until competing chemistries are proven at scale, lithium-ion will likely remain the incumbent for the next decade.
A broader role
The next phase of BESS will span both ends of the spectrum. While storage isn’ t moving away from renewable integration, AI data centers are expanding its role.
The future of energy storage will depend on matching each technology to the demands of the application, from millisecond response to days of energy delivery. ■
Bill Mitchell www. jabil. com
Bill Mitchell is a senior business executive with a proven record of delivering leadership and strategic vision in emerging and high-technology product markets. As Senior Business Unit Director, Renewables & Energy Infrastructure, at Jabil, Bill oversees the division, including the startup of an ESS manufacturing center of excellence in the US.
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