The rapid growth of data centers is adding enormous new demands to power grids already under pressure to connect renewable energy, retire fossil-fuel plants and electrify transportation and buildings. A recent paper published in Nature Communications proposes a different way to manage that strain: Instead of allowing developers to choose sites and then wait years in an “interconnection queue” while utilities determine whether the grid can handle them, grid planners would identify suitable locations in advance and require large data centers to operate within agreed limits.
Making room for data centers without derailing the energy transition
