Energy Vault Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NRGV) (“Energy Vault” or the “Company”), a leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with RackScale Data Centers (“RSDC”), an emerging data center developer. This partnership aims to accelerate the delivery of 2GW of firm, primary power to data center sites developed by RSDC through the deployment of Energy Vault's proprietary B-Nest™ hyperscale battery energy storage system. The parties aim to begin construction at data center sites in 2026.
The B-Nest™ is a proprietary multi-story structure designed to house batteries for onsite energy storage, serving space-constrained project sites. Capable of storing up to 1.6GWh of energy per acre, the B-Nest represents a more than 8X increase in installed site energy density over traditional ground-mounted Battery Energy Storage system (BESS) installations. This ultra-high energy density enables the B-Nest to provide each data center with full primary power for 10+ hours. 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 is significant acceleration of data center project development timelines enabled by rapid delivery of firm power, allowing RSDC to avoid issues created by the shortage of available grid power seen across the industry.
The unprecedented demand for new data center construction has encountered increasingly long wait times for new facilities to access firm grid power from local utilities. As utilities work to expand their generation fleets to meet the sudden surge in power demand, data center interconnection wait times can now stretch up to five years or more. This challenge presents a severe bottleneck for data center developers and is most acute in urban settings where data center demand and utility grid congestion are at their highest.
The partnership between Energy Vault and RSDC includes the planned deployment of 2GW/20GWh of B-Nest infrastructure that will drive a rapid portfolio build-out, with the ability to capture supplementary revenue through participation in demand response programs with local utilities. By taking part in demand response events during times of system strain, RSDC will also help to stabilize the grid and supports local utilities’ efforts to expand renewable power for the data center industry.
Goldman Sachs Research estimates that data center power demand will grow a staggering 160% by 2030, driven in large part by Artificial Intelligence. At present, data centers worldwide consume 1-2% of overall power, with consumption expected to exceed 4% by the end of the decade. In the US and Europe, this increased demand is driving unprecedented demand for reliable, affordable, clean power.
“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, 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, and we look forward to working with RSDC on the deployment of critical power infrastructure to support their ambitious growth plans.”
"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, 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."
B-Nest™ Product Launch
Today’s announcement marks the launch of Energy Vault’s latest long-duration energy storage system solution. The B-Nest, introduced alongside Energy Vault’s B-VAULT™ suite of fully-integrated battery energy storage systems designed for reliability, flexibility, and availability, introduces a multi-story fixed frame structure to house BESS. This design enables data center developers to overcome space constraints typically associated with data center sites and thermal generation retirements in order to leverage those sites’ large interconnect capacity. The proprietary technology behind B-Nest stems from the IP developed for Energy Vault’s gravity-based energy storage systems, and will incorporate structures similar to those used in G-VAULT™ designs.
B-Nest™ has been engineered in accordance with the highest standards for battery and fire safety and in compliance with permitting requirements to minimize risk while maximizing economic returns for customers. B-Nest solutions will be operated by Energy Vault’s proprietary VaultOS Energy Management System (EMS) to control, manage, and optimize the BESS operations.
“The B-Nest will be a major leap forward for the data center sector, and we are incredibly excited to bring it to market in partnership with RSDC,” said Marco Terruzzin, Chief Product Officer, Energy Vault. “By incorporating the multi-story fixed frame structure concept inherent in our G-VAULT technology, we are delivering safe, cost-effective, insurable, and rapidly deployable solutions for the date center industry. With the B-Nest we look forward to providing data center developers the power they so urgently need.”
