Palo Alto startup Noon Energy has landed a reservation deal with Meta Platforms that could lock in up to 1 gigawatt and 100 gigawatt‑hours of ultra‑long‑duration energy storage to feed the company’s next wave of AI data centers. The arrangement starts with a 25 MW / 2.5 GWh pilot project and, if that first site performs as promised, scales into system deliveries under a 100 GWh supply commitment. For Silicon Valley, it is a rare twist on the usual story: a local energy‑tech newcomer securing a hyperscaler’s long‑term storage bet on its home turf.
What Meta reserved and what comes first
Noon said in a press release via GlobeNewswire that Meta has reserved up to 1 GW / 100 GWh of storage capacity, with the collaboration kicking off through a 25 MW / 2.5 GWh pilot that is scheduled for completion by 2028. The company said systems would be delivered under the broader 100 GWh supply arrangement after the initial site is commissioned. “Our partnership with Meta is a monumental step toward realizing what we founded Noon to achieve,” Noon CEO Chris Graves said in the release.
How Noon’s system handles multi‑day energy
Noon’s technology separates energy and power functions. The energy is stored in tanked carbon‑based media, while reversible solid oxide stacks provide power, a design that allows multi‑day discharge durations and independent scaling of storage capacity, according to Noon Energy. The company has reported operating a fully containerized pilot for more than 100 hours, which it says demonstrates the multi‑day dispatch capability the system is built to deliver.
Why data centers are hunting for multi‑day storage
Hyperscale data centers built for AI workloads need firm, predictable power and are increasingly looking beyond four‑hour lithium‑ion batteries toward longer‑duration systems that can shore up grid reliability and guarantee supply, industry outlets say. Power Magazine covered the Noon‑Meta reservation and framed it as part of a broader effort to lock in dependable renewable energy, noting it fits alongside Meta’s rollout of gigawatt‑scale campuses, such as a $10 billion data fortress in the Lebanon cornfields.
Supply chain, funding and what is next
Noon and independent reporting say the system leans on abundant elements such as carbon and oxygen instead of scarce battery metals, and PV Magazine USA reports that Noon uses roughly 1% of the critical materials typically found in conventional lithium‑ion batteries. The company says development of the first project phase will begin immediately, and Noon has previously raised more than $45 million across venture capital and government grants. Official California Energy Commission backup materials show the CEC approved an EPIC grant in June 2024 to support a 100 kW / 10 MWh demonstration, listing a grant amount of $8,760,557 for that project.
What to watch now
The pilot will serve as a real‑world trial of whether multi‑day storage can be deployed quickly and affordably at a large scale, and utilities, regulators, and rival hyperscalers will be paying attention to how it shakes out. Industry trackers such as Energy Storage News have followed Noon’s 100‑hour demo and noted that the Meta pilot could turn into a bellwether for the emerging long‑duration storage market.
