Power solution provider RPower has partnered with ViVaVerse Solutions to build a 17MW microgrid at the ViVa data center campus in Houston, Texas.
ViVaVerse offers colocation data center services from its 94-acre campus in Cypress Creek. The campus - dubbed the ViVa center - has a capacity of more than 200MW and will host the microgrid.
Microgrids are typically deployed to generate electricity on-site, operating in parallel to the power grid or independently.
RPower’s microgrid will use natural gas generators to deliver ‘Resiliency-as-a-Service’ (RaaS) to ViVaVerse’s colocation data center operations during outages.
The microgrid is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.
RPower said it will deploy the microgrid across different Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market programs to provide essential capacity to the local grid following transmission constraints in the South of Texas.
“Our natural gas backup generation system delivers the same reliability and performance as traditional diesel systems, but with a 98 percent reduction in emissions. Further, the RPower system provides critical grid services and will respond to the volatility of renewable generation, further enabling the energy transition to a carbon-free future,” said Jeff Starcher, CEO of RPower.
Eduardo Morales, CEO of ViVaVerse Solution and Morales Capital Group, added: “RPower’s pioneering microgrid will not only deliver essential N+1 resiliency to our data center operations but will also contribute to the local community by supplying necessary capacity during peak demand periods when the electric grid is strained.”
The campus was initially used by Compaq as a site for its personal computer business. Compaq merged with Hewlett-Packard in 2002. MFI acquired the business in 2022 and began operating in high-performance computing under the name ViVaVerse Solutions.
Founded in 2021, RPower is a power generation company, specializing in providing backup generation to companies with mission critical loads. The company is backed by I Sqaured Capital.
