Enchanted Rock is a natural gas-powered microgrid manufacturer based out of Houston that is seeing continued growth because of the ever-increasing demand for microgrid power. This isn’t a complete surprise — not with the catastrophic weather events that have wracked the country in recent years and the need for more data centers because of increased AI usage. 

Allan Schurr, the company’s chief commercial officer, states, “In the past five years, Enchanted Rock saw demand for its natural gas-powered microgrid solution grow five-fold, with the fastest growth occurring between 2021 and 2022, when demand more than doubled.”

And it isn’t just the quantity of clients Enchanted Rock has secured in the past few years that is impressive — it’s also their quality.

Partnership With Microsoft

Perhaps the biggest client that Enchanted Rock has is Microsoft. Back in 2022, the two companies agreed on a deal that would ensure the software leader will have reliable backup power at its San Jose data center. To achieve this, Enchanted Rock will rely on renewable natural gas for its microgrid. 

It will add biogas made from food waste to the existing gas pipes upstream from the facility, offsetting all of the natural gas that the site uses. This strategy will help Microsoft reach one of its goals: that of having a zero-carbon data center. 

This option offers a promising solution to the problem that is already becoming obvious, which is the high demand for data centers and the difficulties they have when trying to join the main grid. 

Finding Lasting Solutions to Complex Power Problems

As the world turns more toward AI usage, cryptocurrency mining, and other high-demand computing applications, the need for powerful data centers grows. These are not the data centers of old, which used to consume, at most, 60 megawatts a year. Now, consumption has risen exponentially, coming closer to 600 megawatts than 60. 

Traditional grid infrastructures can’t sustain that, which means data centers have significant delays in trying to get online. It can take years before they’re allowed in, which isn’t feasible. 

Enchanted Rock and other microgrid providers are offering a way to get data centers up and running without stressing the existing grid. By relying on gas-powered microgrids that generate backup power during emergencies but can also support the main grid, it’s possible for these data centers to actually help their local communities. 

The opportunities that microgrids offer have helped Enchanted Rock grow not only in its home state of Texas or California but also in Northern Virginia. Virginia is known as the area with the most data centers in the country. In fact, it houses 70% of the world’s data centers. 

By being able to operate a fleet of microgrids for its clients and offering energy resilience-as-a-service, Enchanted Rock is rapidly becoming one of the go-to companies for those in search of reliable power. The company is expanding its operations in California and considering its next steps. 

Learn more about Enchanted Rock by reading the original article in the Houston Business Journal.