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A big AI data center uses about 1 GWh of power each night. A large battery storage site is about 500MWh. So this is totally doable and it’s also going to be e

A big AI data center uses about 1 GWh of power each night. A large battery storage site is about 500MWh. So this is totally doable and it’s also going to be economical as soon as the US has built enough LNG export capacity.

noosphr 5mo ago
That's a big data enter from last decade. Today big data enters use 4GWh power in winter. So only 8 of them.
- konschubert 5mo ago
  4GWh of power in what time frame? Either way, in winter you’ll need the gas turbines, I didn’t claim otherwise.
vrighter 5mo ago
so, half an hour's worth?
gnabgib 5mo ago
A medium AI data center uses 1GWh.. per hour.. 10-14GWh overnight (the shoulders aren't strong solar producers). Google 1GW (India), Meta 2GW (Louisiana), Meta 1GW (Texas), Stargate 1GW (UAE), Tsukuba 1GW (Japan), Gangwon Hyperscaler 1GW (South Korea), Teesside AI 6GW (UK). https://constructionreviewonline.com/top-5-largest-data-centers-with-over-1gw-capacity-under-construction/ https://constructionreviewonline.com/top-5-largest-data-cent...
- konschubert 5mo ago
  Hi, I think that's a fair point, I underestimated the power needs. For a 1GW data center, the economical case is probably to build about 2 GWp of solar, plus a 5GWh battery or so. That is not unrealistic: https://masdar.ae/en/news/newsroom/masdar-and-consortium-partners-achieve-financial-close https://masdar.ae/en/news/newsroom/masdar-and-consortium-par... https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/28/catl-secures-worlds-largest-sodium-ion-battery-order-with-hyperstrong/ https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/28/catl-secures-worlds-l... On a sunny day, that will let you to power the data center fully from solar for most of the day, and partially through the night. Obviously you need ~1GW of gas turbine capacity as well, for the non-so-sunny-days, so the economic case for solar here is dependent on the fuel price.

noosphr 5mo ago

That's a big data enter from last decade. Today big data enters use 4GWh power in winter. So only 8 of them.

konschubert 5mo ago
4GWh of power in what time frame? Either way, in winter you’ll need the gas turbines, I didn’t claim otherwise.

vrighter 5mo ago

so, half an hour's worth?

gnabgib 5mo ago

A medium AI data center uses 1GWh.. per hour.. 10-14GWh overnight (the shoulders aren't strong solar producers). Google 1GW (India), Meta 2GW (Louisiana), Meta 1GW (Texas), Stargate 1GW (UAE), Tsukuba 1GW (Japan), Gangwon Hyperscaler 1GW (South Korea), Teesside AI 6GW (UK). https://constructionreviewonline.com/top-5-largest-data-centers-with-over-1gw-capacity-under-construction/ https://constructionreviewonline.com/top-5-largest-data-cent...

konschubert 5mo ago
Hi, I think that's a fair point, I underestimated the power needs. For a 1GW data center, the economical case is probably to build about 2 GWp of solar, plus a 5GWh battery or so. That is not unrealistic: https://masdar.ae/en/news/newsroom/masdar-and-consortium-partners-achieve-financial-close https://masdar.ae/en/news/newsroom/masdar-and-consortium-par... https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/28/catl-secures-worlds-largest-sodium-ion-battery-order-with-hyperstrong/ https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/28/catl-secures-worlds-l... On a sunny day, that will let you to power the data center fully from solar for most of the day, and partially through the night. Obviously you need ~1GW of gas turbine capacity as well, for the non-so-sunny-days, so the economic case for solar here is dependent on the fuel price.