PNW data center opts for BESS to jump the interconnection queue

Calibrant Energy will install the system next year at Aligned Data Centers’ Pacific Northwest site in what the companies call the nation’s first battery built to help data centers speed up interconnection.

October 22, 2025 Phoebe Skok

Image: Calibrant Energy

A PNW data center just bagged its first battery energy storage system (BESS). Why opt for storage? They were tired of waiting in line.

Calibrant Energy and Aligned Data Centers announced TKtoday the forthcoming installation of a first-of-a-kind onsite BESS at Aligned’s data center campus in the Pacific Northwest (exact location to be announced). Calibrant provides large energy users with onsite energy solutions; Adaptive builds adaptive, energy-efficient data center infrastructure that’s designed with scalability in mind and that powers cloud, high performance computing and enterprise workloads.

The partnership, which also includes a collaboration with a regional utility that is set to be announced later this year, marks the first time in the country that a battery system is built and installed in hopes of speeding up the interconnection process to bring a large-scale data center online.

The 31 MW / 62 MWh lithium-ion system is set to become operational sometime next year; all key equipment (including the modules, transformers and switchgear) were manufactured and/or assembled stateside. According to the companies, the system will enable the facility to come online “years earlier” and scale operations much quicker than waiting on traditional utility upgrades.

Calibrant’s chief commercial officer, Matt Barnes, previously told pv magazine USA that even before worrying about interconnection queues, it’s already hard enough for hyperscalers to earn utility approval for long-term large load requests.

Enter Calibrant’s “path to power” approach. By using onsite energy to circumvent grid capacity bottlenecks or utility slowdowns, the company hopes to ensure that Aligned’s site is powered by 24/7/365 energy. While this site will use a lithium-ion system, Calibrant noted that the approach is technology-agnostic and can incorporate solar, microgrids and other types of generation.

The BESS will act as a grid-responsive asset that can artificially “shrink” the data center’s load and bolster utility acceptance and grid reliability in one fell swoop.

And, unlike fossil generators, which can take a few seconds to a few minutes to come online, the battery can be discharged almost instantaneously in the event of an outage. While it might seem small, that lack of downtime can have an outsized impact on data center operations.

“We’re converting our load from a potential grid liability into a dynamic grid asset,” said Aligned’s CEO Andrew Schaap, in a release, adding that the BESS will also provide the regional utility with the necessary tools to support the center’s expansion. “And we’re doing it responsibly, without impacting ratepayers.”

The companies confirmed that they are considering pursuing similar projects in other markets that rely on what they called a “repeatable approach” for data center operators. Calibrant told pv magazine USA that this project “serves as a blueprint for other data center operators” and highlights how data centers, utilities and energy solution providers can partner to deploy more capacity without getting bogged down in expensive, timely grid upgrades.

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