AI-driven data centers strain power grids, renewables surge

⚡️The U.S. is about to set a new power record, & AI is flipping the switch. According to the EIA, U.S. electricity consumption is forecast to hit 4,187 billion kWh in 2025 & 4,305 billion kWh in 2026. That’s the highest ever, fueled by a surge in AI data centers, booming industries, & growing demand in homes & businesses. The grid is transforming with it: 🌱Renewables are on track to reach 26% of generation by 2026 🔥Natural gas & nuclear are expected to slip in share 🔋Companies like Tesla (hello, Megablock 👀), Fluence, & Hitachi Energy are already scaling storage & grid tech to keep up. This isn’t just about more power, it’s about a new era of energy manufacturing, innovation, & resilience. Question is: who’s best positioned to keep the lights (& servers) on? 👉 Curious to hear: which players in storage, grid, or renewables do you think will lead the charge? #Energy #AI #Renewables #Grid #Manufacturing #Tesla #Fluence #HitachiEnergy

AI Is Driving Explosive Growth in U.S. Energy Demand — Can We Keep Up? With the rise of AI-powered data centers, factories, and commercial buildings, the U.S. is entering an era of unprecedented electricity demand — especially during peak summer months. According to BNEF, demand will double from 39GW in 2024 to 78GW by 2035. To meet this challenge, only one technology is scalable, fast-to-deploy, and cost-effective enough: ➡️ Utility-scale solar. But there’s a deadline. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will drastically reduce solar incentives after July 3, 2026. Projects that aren’t under construction before then risk losing IRA benefits. 💡 Why solar still leads — even as gas prices dip: 🔹 Lazard’s 2025 Levelized Cost of Energy+ report: • Utility solar: $0.038–$0.212/kWh • Combined-cycle gas: $0.048–$0.107/kWh • Nuclear: $0.141–$0.220/kWh “Despite macro challenges, utility-scale solar remains the lowest-cost and most deployable form of new-build energy — even without subsidies.” – Lazard LCOE+ 2025 🏗️ At Thornova Solar, we’re enabling developers and EPCs to move fast with: ✅ High-efficiency, U.S.-ready solar modules ✅ Strong stock availability ✅ Support for utility, commercial & industrial scale projects ⚠️ Protect your incentives. Meet AI-driven demand. Stay ahead of policy shifts. 🔗 Learn more: www.thornovasolar.com #ThornovaSolar #UtilityScaleSolar #AIandEnergy #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #SolarForDataCenters #IRA #SolarModules #USPowerGrid #LCOE #SolarDeployment #Solar2025

We've seen some of the hyperscalers (cough* Google cough*) begin to shift their focus away from solar and wind in favour of nuclear, and even fossil-based sources to power their data centres. Data centres are the heart of the digital economy, and with their energy consumption expected to double by 2030, the industry has a responsibility to ensure they're powered by zero-emission sources (yes, nuclear is part of the solution here). Masaō Ashtine and I have written a piece making the case for co-location of renewables and data centres. Unsurprisingly there are many benefits to this approach. Take a read below: Bob Burgoyne Aleyn Smith-Gillespie Felix Prettejohn https://lnkd.in/ee_VVMEm

The most important building project of this century? Rewiring America with renewables. ⚡🌎 The future of renewable energy in the U.S. is not a single technology—it’s a transformation of the entire energy system. Solar and wind are scaling at record speeds. Grid-scale batteries are beginning to smooth out the variability of renewables. Green hydrogen and advanced nuclear are emerging as next-generation complements. Distributed generation is reshaping how communities produce and consume power. And behind it all, digital tools—AI, edge computing, and predictive analytics—are making the grid smarter and more resilient. But the real breakthrough won’t just come from technology. It will come from integration: connecting renewables with storage, electrification with efficiency, policy with innovation, and local communities with national goals. The U.S. has the resources, the talent, and the momentum. The question is whether we can move fast enough, at scale, to seize this historic opportunity. Because the energy choices made in this decade will define not only America’s competitiveness, but also the stability of our climate and economy for generations to come. The future of renewable energy is here—it’s time to build it. #RenewableEnergy #CleanEnergyFuture #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #USEnergy #Innovation

A team at tech giant Microsoft wants wind farms to be turned into mini-AI data centres by locating computing hardware at operating projects, setting out why wind power is better suited to the task than solar or nuclear. #renewables #windpower #windfarms #datacentres #AI American Clean Power Association (ACP) Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) https://lnkd.in/dYEEWWMi

Energy is the heartbeat of our modern world. Bill Gates recently said: “As global energy demand increases, innovative energy tech will be critical to ensure affordable and reliable access for everyone.” And he’s right. Our cities are growing. Our technology is advancing. Our lives are more connected than ever. But behind all of it is one simple truth — without affordable, reliable energy, progress slows down for everyone. Innovation is the game-changer here. Smarter solar and wind solutions Next-generation energy storage Breakthroughs in nuclear and smart grids These aren’t just “cool ideas” — they’re tools to ensure no community is left in the dark. But tech alone isn’t enough. We need collaboration — between governments, innovators, and everyday people — to make it happen. If we get this right, affordable and reliable power could become a basic guarantee, not a privilege. The challenge is big. The opportunity is bigger. What’s one innovative energy solution you believe could change the world? Bill Gates #energy #solar

☝️ 'Germany is pioneering a new approach to energy with its “virtual power plants,” which connect thousands of households’ rooftop solar panels and battery systems into one massive, coordinated energy source. Instead of relying solely on large centralized power stations, this system treats small, decentralized solar installations as parts of a single virtual plant capable of supplying or storing electricity as needed. By linking homes digitally through smart meters and AI-based software, the virtual power plant can respond in real-time to fluctuations in the national grid. When demand spikes — like during a cold winter evening — it can release stored energy. When there’s a surplus of solar power, it can absorb and store it in home batteries. This flexibility helps balance the grid, reduces the need for fossil fuel backup systems, and makes renewable energy more reliable. Participating households earn money by sharing excess energy and battery capacity, turning ordinary citizens into active players in the power market. These virtual networks are especially useful in Germany’s push to phase out coal and nuclear plants, showing how smarter use of existing technologies can dramatically transform national energy systems.' #EnergyRevolution #SmartGrid #SolarPower

⚡ Industry insight on how Big Tech is saving energy use at data centers... U.S. grid capacity is dwindling and data center operators are working on innovative technologies and systems to increase energy efficiency. Microsoft is investing in liquid and natural air cooling to reduce energy and water use, plus AI-driven tools to maximize computing efficiency. “We’re dealing with constraints like the rest of the marketplace,” Bobby Hollis, VP of energy at Microsoft, told Reuters Events. Availability of power and grid infrastructure has become a critical driver of site selection for data center developers. Larger data center complexes are being developed with some surpassing 1 GW, equivalent to one large nuclear reactor. “We are having to make geographic choices based on the fact that that we need to move pretty quickly to deploy the infrastructure that we need," Hollis told Reuters Events. "If one location is moving significantly slower than another because of interconnection or transmission line requirements, then we might have to go to another location." Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eUVVDpG7 Join 3,000+ senior decision-makers across energy and finance at Reuters Events Energy LIVE 2025. https://lnkd.in/eumJpgHH Download our exclusive report: Soaring US Power Demand Opens New Paths for Developers. https://lnkd.in/ev2ZJpJD For exclusive insights on the energy transition, sign up to our newsletter. https://lnkd.in/eKYGZDiv Bobby Hollis Microsoft

U.S. data centers used 176 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2023, triple what they consumed less than a decade earlier. By 2030, we’re talking about 400–500 TWh every year, enough to power 20 to 30 million homes. That’s not a blip on the chart. That’s a new industrial revolution. So what fuels this surge? Natural gas. ⬇️⬇️

AI’s biggest bottleneck isn’t algorithms—it’s electricity.   The explosion of data centers is straining a system built for abundance—now confronting scarcity as AI demand outpaces the grid’s ability to keep up. Experts warn the US must add power fast, from every available source.   Jeff Weiss, Executive Chairman of Distributed Sun & truCurrent, put it bluntly: “Electricity scarcity is upon us, and this is the new world for industrials, for data centers, for consumers, where electricity is not abundant and we need to manage sources of power. We’ve never had this in America.” And Clint Vince, Chair of the US Energy Practice at Dentons, emphasized the role of renewables: “Solar combined with battery storage has been doing very well, not as a complete solution…but it’s a partial solution that’s very important, because we’re going to need as much generation as we can get, as quickly as we can get it.”   The signal is clear: this is an all-of-the-above moment—new generation from renewables, nuclear, and gas, paired with smarter grid flexibility. At truCurrent, that’s what we’re building every day: clean, flexible energy solutions that turn power from a constraint into a competitive advantage.   🔗 Read the full article in Energywire (via EnergyWireNews / POLITICO Pro) here: https://lnkd.in/g7RnK-Dn (subscription may be required) #EnergyScarcity #CleanEnergy #AIPowerDemand #GridFlexibility #DataCenters