In 2023, data centers alone consumed about 4.4 % of total U.S. electricity, a share projected to rise to as much as 12% by 2028, equivalent to 130 gigawatts of new demand. U.S. generation fueled by coal increased by 13% in 2025 to 731 BkWh due to cold temperatures in some regions and because of relatively higher natural gas prices. The regional growth in natural gas-fired generation responds partly to the growing electricity demand from data centers. With over 35 years of experience, E Source helps utilities navigate complex challenges through data-driven insights and strategic guidance. Following several years of slower growth, wind capacity additions are expected to more than double in 2026, with 11.8 GW planned.
Collaboration will be critical, as will an understanding of the promise of additive infrastructure which builds upon the existing resources to bring efficiency, capacity and flexibility to power AI.” As AI continues to proliferate, planned expansion of U.S. data centers may move more rapidly than new power generation can be brought online, creating a gap in infrastructure development to meet demand. As developing new data centers to power artificial intelligence (AI) becomes critically important, opportunity arises for industries to collaborate to support evolving infrastructure demands. This session introduces the AI factory playbook, physics-driven design, and digital-first strategy, as an innovative migration from static building information modeling (BIM) to a dynamic digital twin environment, powered by Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) and NVIDIA Omniverse libraries.
- We expect 63 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric-generating capacity to be added to the U.S. power grid in 2025 in our latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report.
- Utility-scale solar remains the largest driver of new capacity, with 43.4 GW planned for 2026, a 60% increase over 2025 installations.
- In 2026, performance-based interconnection could increasingly tie queue priority to telemetry and flexibility.
- Meeting electricity demand through 2030 will require annual grid investment to increase by approximately 50% by 2030 from today’s USD 400 billion, alongside a scale‑up in grid supply chains and more effective management of work force challenges.
- Depending on the scale of a development, it can take anywhere from seven to 14 years to build new transmission infrastructure, accounting for potential planning issues, legal objections, supply chain and labor bottlenecks, and construction.
- The proliferation of smart appliances and other distributed energy resources has increased opportunities and expectations for load flexibility.
NERC has previously documented instances of data centers and crypto-mining facilities coming offline and disrupting the grid, including a July 2024 incident in which a lightning arrestor failed on a 230 kV transmission line, leading to a customer-initiated simultaneous loss of approximately 1,500 MW of voltage-sensitive load that operators did not anticipate. NERC is taking significant steps to ensure the reliability of the BPS, including issuing a Level 3 Essential Action Alert on May 4 that sets imminent acknowledgment and reporting deadlines. Additionally, the reliability watchdog called for government agencies to clarify guidance regarding UAS and the methods available or drone detection, and for more clarity around governmental support available to industry in the event of an incident or attack.
ELM Fieldsight Enables Community Power at Orcas Center Microgrid
The SPARK opportunity builds on the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, which provided up to $10.5 billion in competitive funding over five years to states, tribes, electric utilities, and other eligible recipients to strengthen grid resilience and innovation. “Through this SPARK funding opportunity, we will stabilize and optimize grid operations to strengthen it for rapid growth.” Li explained that the company’s systems are designed not only for data centers but also for PV arbitrage, frequency containment reserve, intraday trading, and microgrid applications. Li said the biggest challenge during the construction phase to https://ecobusinessdesign.com/low-rise-construction-online.html date has been maintaining uninterruptible power supply (UPS) while accounting for all potential risks. The client, TeslaWatt, is a Nevada-based company that operates data center infrastructure for cryptocurrency mining. Headquartered in Dongguan, China, the BESS provider specializes in modular, string-based, all-in-one cabinet solutions.
Hitachi Energy, Grid United Advance North Plains Connector to Link Eastern and Western Grids
Investment in underground lines also increased considerably, more than doubling over the past 20 years to reach $11.8 billion in 2023. Capital investment in distribution infrastructure increased by $31.4 billion, or 160%, from 2003 to 2023. More recently, capital investment in the transmission of electricity increased $2.7 billion (11%) in 2023 from 2022. More recently, capital spending on electricity production increased by 23% ($4.7 billion) in 2023 compared with 2022. In 2026, developers plan to add 6.3 GW of new natural gas-fired capacity. But wind capacity addition could rise in 2026 with 11.8 GW planned to be added to the grid, more than double the capacity added last year.
Capital innovation: Unlock flexible financing to scale affordably
Notable additions include the 837 MW Tehuacana Creek 1 project in Texas, which is expected to be the largest solar PV facility to come online this year. Utility-scale solar remains the largest driver of new capacity, with 43.4 GW planned for 2026, a 60% increase over 2025 installations. Through Distribution-Integrated System Capacity Orchestration (DISCO), WeaveGrid provides asset-level visibility and device-level control, optimizing EVs, batteries, and other flexible loads exactly where constraints hit, from transformers to the bulk system. “The United States must increase grid capacity to meet demand, and ensure the grid provides reliable power—day-in and day-out,” said OE Assistant Secretary Katie Jereza. It is also backed by parallel battery packs, cabinet-level http://emergingequity.org/2015/06/26/vladimir-putin-on-the-global-economy-geopolitics-and-russia-europe-relations/?shared=email&msg=fail thermal control and dust-resistant engineering, ensuring the system can sustain operations even if one pack is isolated. As the buildout of data centers in the United States accelerates, developers are often targeting remote locations where land availability is high.
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