Enchanted Rock to Build California’s Largest RNG Microgrid for Microsoft
Microsoft has contracted with Enchanted Rock to develop a data center microgrid — the largest microgrid in California to date that will use renewable natural gas (RNG) to offset fossil fuels. Located in San Jose, a city whose mayor has become an outspoken advocate of microgrids and grid independence, the microgrid will be part of a Microsoft data center being constructed.
Plans call for a 100-MW microgrid that will include 224 natural gas generators, each with a 0.45 MW capacity. The microgrid represents a growing trend of offsetting use of fossil fuels with RNG, a fuel made from capturing methane produced by decomposing waste from livestock, water treatment, food and other sources.