Clean energy innovator Erthos has been named a winner in the 2026 The Fast Mode Awards, taking home the Green Tech Advocate – Impact award in the Data Center Solution Provider category. This recognition celebrates Erthos’s approach to direct-to-compute solar power: high-density, behind-the-meter generation designed to help data center operators overcome grid constraints and bring power closer to the workloads that need it.

A different approach to powering AI

Traditional solar installations can bring a substantial structural footprint and lengthy construction timelines. Driven piles, torque tubes and large volumes of steel add materials, labor and supply-chain dependencies to already complex data center developments.

Erthos takes a different approach with its proprietary Earth Mount Solar system, which installs panels  directly on the ground. By eliminating conventional structural racking and driven foundations, the patented installation is designed to simplify construction while making more productive use of available land.

The company’s system delivers more than twice the megawatt capacity per acre compared with single-axis trackers, cuts construction schedules in half and requires fewer than 500 labor hours per megawatt. Erthos also reports an embodied-carbon benefit: eliminating structural metal supports reduces Scope 3 emissions by more than 80%.

The award reflects the growing importance of solutions that address both the energy demands and the environmental impact of AI infrastructure.

“This year’s winners demonstrated remarkable technological prowess in catering to one of the largest demand shifts in compute history, driven primarily by AI,” said Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode.

From innovation to real-world impact

Erthos’s recognition is backed by commercial deployment. In Nevada, the company partnered with Crusoe Energy Systems and Redwood Materials on a second-life EV battery microgrid project described as North America’s largest.

The 20-acre Earth Mount Solar array was delivered in under five months, without driven piles or heavy grading. Combined with 63 MWh of circular battery storage, the installation supplies firm, 100% off-grid electricity directly to modular AI data centres.

The project also addresses a practical challenge of operating solar in an arid environment: keeping panels clean without consuming water. Erthos’s ErthBot, an autonomous cleaning robot, operates water-free and maintains soiling losses below 1%, helping protect energy production while avoiding water-intensive washing.

Together, the solar array, battery storage and autonomous maintenance demonstrate how direct-to-compute solar power can bring generation, storage and operations together in a model built around the needs of digital infrastructure.

Powering the next phase of digital infrastructure

As AI workloads grow and rack densities climb, relying solely on traditional grid connections can make expansion difficult to schedule. Behind-the-meter generation offers data centre developers another way to plan for capacity, reduce exposure to interconnection delays and advance clean-energy goals.

“Direct-to-compute, surface-mount solar and autonomous maintenance aren’t just sustainable choices—they are operational imperatives for the AI era,” said Jim Tyler, CEO of Erthos.

For Erthos, the Green Tech Advocate – Impact award is recognition of a practical proposition: the energy infrastructure supporting AI needs to evolve as quickly and be as innovative as the compute itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct-to-compute power?

Direct-to-compute power refers to behind-the-meter clean energy deployed adjacent to data facilities, supplying high-density compute directly to bypass multi-year utility interconnection delays.

What is Earth Mount Solar?

Earth Mount Solar is an architecture developed by Erthos that installs PV modules directly on native ground, removing structural steel, concrete, and trackers.

How does Erthos clean panels without water?

Erthos uses ErthBot, an autonomous robot that cleans surface-mounted modules without water, keeping soiling losses under 1%.

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