INTERVIEW: TERRASCALE PRESIDENT SAYS DATA CENTERS, TECH INDUSTRY, NATURAL PAIRING FOR RENEWABLES

For Mark Schonberg, a pairing of on-site renewables to help power data centers just makes sense.

"Renewables are really the ultimate resiliency for a data center, because if you get your mix right you never have to worry about losing power," said Schonberg, president of TerraScale.

TerraScale is developing a USD 3bn Energos Reno industrial park and data center that will eventually be powered by 100 percent renewable energy. The 20 MW phase one facility will be completed in 2022, with an additional 80 MW in phase two. TerraScale intends for the Energos Rino project to be the largest industrial/commercial development nationwide powered by renewables, and Schonberg hopes that it can serve as a model for the ideal relationship between on-site renewables and data centers.

The on-site aspect of power is particularly crucial for the development of a data center, Schonberg said, because it won't be susceptible to any grid outages from the utility.

"Traditionally, most of the data center industry already buys renewable energy credits from their power companies, but the reality is when you plug into the power grid you don’t know where that power is coming from," Schonberg said.

Schonberg said he plans to look primarily at on-site solar and geothermal for power, as the large amount of geothermal resources available was part of the reason TerraScale chose Reno for the project, although that aspect will likely not be completed for another two or three years. Within 10 years, he hopes the site can have 500 MW of power on a microgrid.

TerraScale will be building the project in collaboration with AlphaStruxure, who will build the renewables, as well as Ambri Batteries, a liquid metal battery developer to ensure backup and overnight power. Schonberg noted that he hopes the industrial park can be a place for companies to come and test their own technologies, which is part of the reason he looked beyond lithium-ion for battery support.

“These technologies need to be encouraged, they need to be fostered and that [innovation] is what the tech industry was based on,” Schonberg said. “So from our perspective, it's a natural marriage and all the tech stuff should be pushing renewables as the backbone for their power.”

“We are not a battery company and we're not a power company, we're a tech company,” he added. “But we're a tech company that’s got our fingers big into power because we see the natural relationship there.”

Eventually, he hopes that Energos can be a smart industrial park powered completely by renewables, including EVs and charging stations, and potentially will expand into a clean residential development.

He told NPM that he hopes the all-encompassing nature of the facility can inspire a new mindset for future projects and municipalities moving towards 100 percent renewables.

“In order to get green energy integrated to where it really becomes a lifestyle change, you've got to look at it holistically in that smart city construct and that requires data,” Schonberg said. “Which is why we're building a data center that requires unique power solutions and why we're looking at renewables and cutting-edge batteries that are going to get us where we want to go.”