Ampt String Optimizers Empower 65MW Solar + Storage System for AI Data Center Operations
Ampt, the industry-leading provider of DC optimization solutions for large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems, has announced the successful deployment of its advanced String Optimizers at a major hybrid solar and battery storage facility. This project, located within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) region, encompasses a 65-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant integrated with a DC-coupled 25MW / 100 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS), and is specifically designed to serve high-demand environments such as artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
The installation of Ampt’s String Optimizers represents a pivotal advancement in the integration of renewable energy and digital infrastructure. As AI continues to redefine the capabilities of modern computing, data centers powering these applications require not only massive amounts of energy but also highly reliable and consistent power delivery. The unique combination of solar PV and storage, enabled by Ampt’s cutting-edge technology, delivers clean, stable, and cost-efficient power tailored to meet these stringent demands.
Supporting AI with Renewable Energy
Artificial intelligence workloads, especially large-scale machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) training operations, require dense, sustained, and precise energy supply. Any instability in power—whether in voltage, frequency, or availability—can cause performance degradation, increased error rates, or even equipment failure. In AI-centric facilities, milliseconds of delay can disrupt high-throughput calculations, reduce model accuracy, or extend the time needed for training by hours or even days.
The project’s 25MW / 100MWh battery system, coupled directly to the DC side of the PV system, plays a crucial role in addressing these power quality challenges. The four-hour battery duration provides time-shifting capabilities, meaning that energy generated during peak sunlight hours can be stored and used during peak load times or at night. It also ensures a buffer against the inherent intermittency of solar energy caused by environmental factors such as cloud cover, dust accumulation, and diurnal changes in solar irradiance.
Ampt’s String Optimizers stabilize the voltage output of each PV string, maintaining a fixed and optimal voltage that improves the performance of both inverters and battery systems. This not only allows the PV plant to operate closer to its maximum power point (MPP) under all conditions, but also ensures that the energy delivered to the grid or directly to data centers meets strict quality requirements.
Driving Economic and Environmental Impact
This solar + storage facility is structured under a power purchase agreement (PPA) involving multiple off-takers, enabling long-term energy sales that are expected to contribute tens of millions of dollars to the regional economy. These off-takers include critical facilities such as AI and cloud data centers, industrial clients, and potentially utilities managing peak power demand across the CAISO grid.
Aaron Gomolak, CEO of Ampt, emphasized the environmental significance of this deployment: “We’re proud to contribute to a system that will offset roughly 100,000 tons of carbon emissions each year. Projects like this are instrumental in accelerating the global transition to carbon-free energy. Our technology ensures that customers can depend on consistent, clean energy even in high-demand, high-stakes environments.”
California has set an ambitious target of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045. Projects like this—leveraging solar, battery storage, and smart optimization technologies—are a vital component of the strategy to meet that goal. Not only do they reduce emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, but they also provide flexible, dispatchable renewable energy that supports grid stability and load balancing.
Data Centers: A Growing Energy Frontier
The demand for reliable and massive energy sources for data centers is rising rapidly. According to the latest research from Wood Mackenzie, the United States alone has over 134 gigawatts (GW) of proposed data center capacity in the pipeline, a dramatic increase from just 50 GW one year prior. A single hyperscale AI data center can consume as much electricity as 80,000 average U.S. homes, putting immense pressure on both the electricity grid and sustainability efforts.
Unlike traditional IT infrastructure, AI data centers run highly intensive computations 24/7, often requiring dedicated cooling systems, GPUs, and low-latency networking—all of which demand consistent power. This makes them particularly sensitive to supply fluctuations and a strong candidate for co-location with renewable energy assets. However, standard PV systems may not suffice for these needs without additional engineering and control technologies.
This is where Ampt’s value becomes particularly evident. Its DC optimization platform enables better control and predictability in solar output by correcting for imbalances among PV strings, mitigating mismatch losses due to shading, module aging, or temperature variance. This not only ensures peak performance of the PV system but also allows for seamless integration with energy storage and grid operations.
Enabling Smarter Grid Participation
The entire power system is enhanced by machine learning algorithms that continuously evaluate system performance and grid interaction strategies. These AI-powered insights help determine when to store energy, when to dispatch it, and how to adjust operations in real-time to market signals such as electricity prices, grid congestion, and renewable penetration levels.
With these capabilities, the solar + storage system does more than provide clean electricity—it acts as a flexible, intelligent asset that supports grid resilience, enhances capacity planning, and aligns with California’s decarbonization goals.
Ampt’s role in this ecosystem is foundational. The company’s optimizers ensure that power generated at the module level is efficiently transferred and aggregated in a way that supports both local battery use and grid export. By ensuring voltage uniformity and increasing energy harvest, the system’s lifetime output improves, and maintenance needs are reduced.
Redefining Renewable Infrastructure Economics
In addition to improving technical performance, Ampt technology has a substantial impact on the economics of renewable energy projects. By enabling higher inverter loading ratios and minimizing electrical losses, the use of String Optimizers reduces balance-of-system (BOS) costs. These cost savings, combined with increased energy yield, result in higher project returns and more bankable energy assets.
Mary Adam, Vice President of Global Sales at Ampt, highlighted this point: “By operating on the DC side, Ampt’s technology improves system-wide efficiency and reduces infrastructure costs. This is a game-changer for renewable deployments in energy-intensive environments like AI data centers. We’re proud to support customers who are pushing the boundaries of what renewable energy can achieve in critical applications.”
Future-Ready Power Systems
As AI-driven computing continues its rapid ascent and the clean energy transition accelerates, projects that combine renewable energy, storage, and smart grid integration will become increasingly important. Ampt’s technology is uniquely positioned to support this evolution.
By providing the stability, efficiency, and control required by data centers and other critical infrastructure, Ampt enables a new paradigm of energy reliability—one that is renewable, flexible, and economically sound. The company’s role in this landmark 65MW solar + 25MW battery project is not only a technological milestone but a signal of what’s to come in the future of clean, intelligent power systems.
With more data centers being built in regions with aggressive clean energy mandates, the demand for high-performance solar + storage solutions optimized with technologies like those from Ampt is expected to grow rapidly. These integrated systems will be essential in delivering sustainable, secure, and cost-effective energy for the digital age.
