LONGi targets Spain's data centre sector with fire-resistant solar and storage with predictive safety

LONGi is positioning its solar and energy storage portfolio for data centre projects in Spain, bringing together the Hi-MO X10 Guardian Fire-Resistant module and the Hi-MO One Pro battery energy storage system. The offering combines high-efficiency back contact PV generation with enhanced rooftop fire protection, intelligent energy management and predictive cell-level battery safety.

The move comes as Spain prepares to link new data centre capacity more closely to the build-out of renewable generation. A draft Royal Decree proposes that new data centres with grid-access capacity of at least 1 MW cover at least 80% of their electricity consumption with renewable energy until renewables exceed 90% of the Spanish electricity generation mix.

For data centre projects, LONGi addresses three core requirements: high-efficiency on-site renewable generation, intelligent storage and energy management, and enhanced safety at both PV module and battery-cell level.

‍Photovoltaic: Hi-MO X10 Guardian Fire-Resistant - Increased safety at PV level through fire protection built into the BC module architecture

LONGi's Hi-MO X10 Guardian Fire-Resistant combines high-efficiency back contact technology with enhanced fire protection for safety-critical rooftop applications. Based on second-generation HPBC 2.0 technology, the module reaches up to 24.8% efficiency and 630 W output, increasing the amount of renewable generation that can be installed on available data centre rooftop space.  

Its fire-resistant design addresses the higher consequences of a potential PV fire where high-value IT infrastructure and continuity-critical operations are located directly below the installation. The protection concept targets key module-related ignition risks. HPBC 2.0's cell-level shading optimization and current-diversion design provide an alternative current path under partial shading, limiting localized overheating and reducing hot-spot risk. Reinforced junction-box sealing and welding reduce the risk of DC arc faults, while flame-retardant encapsulation and junction-box materials add further protection at module level.

The design also addresses fire originating outside the PV system. High-temperature-resistant front glass and flame-retardant materials are intended to resist flame penetration and limit fire propagation under external fire exposure. The Hi-MO X10 Guardian Fire-Resistant has obtained a TÜV Rheinland Class A fire rating according to UL 790. The certification testing was conducted on modules randomly selected from a mass-production batch, verifying fire performance at full-module level under production conditions. In separate IEC 61730-2:2023 MST 23 testing, the module withstood direct flame exposure at nearly 1,000°C for 1.5 hours without thermal perforation of the module structure.

For data centre rooftops, this combination maximizes renewable generation from available surface area while strengthening fire protection for critical infrastructure.

‍Storage: Hi-MO One Pro for intelligent energy management and predictive safety

LONGi's Hi-MO One Pro adds storage and intelligent energy management to the solar system, helping manage the mismatch between variable PV generation and the continuous electricity demand of data centres. The modular, liquid-cooled system provides 261 kWh capacity per unit and integrates five core technologies developed within LONGi: energy management (EMS), battery management (BMS), power conversion (PCS), thermal management (TMS) and the patented Intelligent Cell Connection System (iCCS). Operating within one architecture, the five systems coordinate energy flows, battery operation, power conversion, thermal management and battery safety rather than functioning as separately developed subsystems.

For critical infrastructure, iCCS adds predictive safety monitoring at individual cell level. The TÜV-certified technology continuously monitors battery behaviour to identify abnormalities before they develop into critical thermal events. Changes in internal resistance can be identified three to six months before potentially critical thermal developments, abnormal gas generation more than 25 minutes, and safety-valve opening three to five minutes before a potential thermal-runaway event.

Spain links data centre growth to new renewable generation

Spain's rapidly growing data centre pipeline is creating a new electricity-system challenge. Since the end of 2023, more than 6 GW of transmission-grid access capacity has been granted to data centre projects, with around another 6 GW granted at distribution level since 2020, according to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. Data centres add large, continuous loads that require grid capacity around the clock, while a growing share of Spain's electricity supply comes from variable renewable generation. The ministry warns that the aggregated demand, if realized, would require a significant share of planned transmission-grid investment and increase the electricity system's need for firm generation capacity.

In response, Spain has proposed a regulatory framework that would link new data centre capacity more directly to additional renewable generation. Under the draft Royal Decree, new data centres with grid-access capacity of at least 1 MW would have to cover at least 80% of their electricity consumption with renewable energy until renewables exceed 90% of Spain's electricity generation mix.

Crucially, the proposal introduces both additionality and hourly correlation. Each new megawatt of data centre consumption would have to be accompanied by one megawatt of new renewable generation installed within the 18 months before the facility starts operation, either through self-consumption or forward contracts such as PPAs. Compliance would be assessed hour by hour: during each operating hour, at least 80% of electricity consumed would have to correspond to renewable electricity generated in that same hour.

The requirements would also be linked to grid access and connection rights. The draft provides for increasing surcharges on grid charges and tariffs in cases of non-compliance and, in cases of significant and repeated non-compliance, the potential loss of access and connection rights.

For new data centre projects, the proposal moves renewable electricity beyond annual procurement targets. Developers would need to secure additional renewable generation at a scale directly linked to new consumption and manage it against a largely continuous load on an hourly basis.

“Data centres combine large, continuous electricity demand with very high expectations for availability and safety,” said Hugo Fernandez, General Manager of LONGi Solar Iberia (DG). “Their expansion will depend not only on access to electricity, but on how intelligently that energy is generated, stored and managed. The next generation of data centres needs energy infrastructure designed around renewable generation, flexibility and safety from the outset.”

LONGi's data centre offering builds on the company's growing BC and energy storage businesses. In the first half of 2026, LONGi sold 19.55 GW of BC modules, an increase of 125% year on year, while cumulative signed energy storage orders exceeded 3 GWh.