Utilities are facing unprecedented forecasted demand growth from data centers, particularly due to new AI applications by major tech companies. The existing grid lacks capacity to support this concentrated load, leading to challenges in grid development due to cost and time constraints. However, new solutions such as “beyond the grid” renewable energy generation and battery storage offer feasible alternatives. Solar and battery costs are decreasing, making it possible to power data centers affordably with overbuilt solar and batteries, achieving over 99.9% utilization. The potential for massive solar-powered data centers and the future implications of AGI on Earth’s land use and energy consumption are fascinating topics of discussion.
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