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Controlling sudden power spikes and transient load swings in volatile GPU workloads
Greenflash, an H.I.G. Capital-backed energy platform, recently closed hybrid tax capital and debt financing for Project Soho – a 400MW / 800MWh standalone battery storage project in Brazoria County, TX – the largest standalone BESS currently under construction in the state. The transaction included debt financing by Deutsche Bank and preferred equity investment from funds managed by Wafra and Acadia Infrastructure Capital.
In addition to the innovative financing structure of the project, which co-founder and vice president Joel Chisolm has called a “scalable, repeatable template for our 5 GW near-term ERCOT pipeline,” the scale and capacity of Project Soho is unique. The massive size of the project requires direct power dispatch into the ERCOT Houston zone, and the digital backbone for that 5 GW pipeline is FlexGen, which is known for its hyper-accelerated deployments in Texas. Because ERCOT is facing surging power demands, speed-to-market is critical, and leveraging FlexGen’s HybridOS Energy Management System, Greenflash pioneered “energy-ready” infrastructure that handles GPU-driven power spikes, reduces/offsets site loads in compliance with ERCOT SB6 and Flex Connect mandates, and meets strict ERCOT low-voltage ride-through requirements.
In a post-Yotta interview with Adam Nygaard, VP, business development for FlexGen, RCRTech learned how powered land developers/owners and colocation data centers are expediting time-to-power and taming AI’s transient power loads.
“The goal is to smooth out spikes and rapid fluctuations in BESS caused by intensive GPU and AI accelerator clusters,” which Nygaard calls the “Achilles heel” of integrating hybrid power infrastructure around volatile AI workloads. In order to protect traditional generation assets, he says it’s critical to absorb the rapid fluctuations through real-time orchestration of primary generation assets, storage, and demand-side components, such as:
- Gas Turbines / Reciprocating Engines
- Renewable energy sources
- BESS
- Inverters and power conversion systems (PCS)
Through a combination of predictive algorithms in energy management systems and advanced orchestration software, it becomes possible to detect potential power balances before they happen, dynamically throttling or shifting computing tasks. Additionally, physical breakers and routing components can isolate faults and reroute power to further stabilize the grid.
According to Nygaard, customers in the data center industry want “full-wrap solutions that include batteries, inverters, software controls, and the commissioning of all of it all.” He says modern energy management platforms and control systems are changing the way programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are used to manage complex energy systems. Rather than forcing PLCs to manage renewable energy and battery storage sites, developers and operators are looking beyond rigid “if/then” ladder logic toward intelligent software platforms that better handle the fluidity of renewable energy and battery storage systems.
“Experience is what matters in designing systems sophisticated enough to do what’s necessary. You don’t want to hodgepodge different control systems and networking designs to make it all work together.” He contends that FlexGen’s 2,500 GW hours of experience and field force of 175 field techs and remote operations centers are critical to “turning things on quickly” and orchestrating utility-scale energy storage systems that act as a “frontline defense.” He says FlexGen increasingly partners with EPC contractors, providing specialized software and control systems integration. The company continues to expand, partner and acquire assets in the AI data center space, including Vitol, Shell Energy North America, Lightshift Energy, Aggreko, and Black & Veatch.
