Jason Plautz of E&E News reports how tech companies are balancing energy needs and grid reliability.
- The rise in AI and data centers is having many worried about how cloud computing will impact our grid.
- Tech companies are introducing ways for their data centers to compliment the grid and bolster reliability.
- Google has launched a pilot program that will see the tech giant reduce its load at high peak times when utilities need more power.
- In Georgia, companies and regulators are forging a pathway to allow large-load customers to bring third-party clean-energy projects to the grid to offset their demand.
“Not every data center functions the same way. A March report from Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, the infrastructure spinoff from Google parent company Alphabet, found that under certain applications, data centers can ‘provide large-scale flexibility to the grid.’ Planned properly, the report said, data centers could help shave peak load, soak up excess wind and solar power, and utilize existing transmission that might otherwise be stranded.”
Read the full article here.
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