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Virtual power plant operator Voltus is acquiring energy storage startup Brightfield AI, as it looks to double down on offering speed-to-power for data centers in the wake of a “bring your own capacity” deal with Google last week.
The acquisition brings Brightfield’s tools for cutting soft costs and speeding up battery deployments directly to Voltus’ portfolio expansion efforts, at a time when hyperscalers are scrambling to secure near-term capacity anywhere they can find it.
Voltus will leverage Brightfield’s software to deploy batteries across thousands of buildings in the next few years, Voltus CEO Dana Guernesey told Latitude Media. The pair will first comb through Voltus’ existing portfolio, identifying sites that are primed to host batteries that can participate in Voltus’ BYOC program, before moving on to new customers. That strategy will prioritize PJM, where capacity constraints are particularly acute, and where VPP providers are already gearing up to participate in the forthcoming emergency backstop procurement this fall.
The goal behind the acquisition, Guernsey explained, is to increase deployment in the places, and on the timeframes demanded by the AI boom. While many hyperscalers are turning to fossil gas, there has also been a push for more renewables, and faster.
