We expect that the power consumption attributable to datacenters will continue to increase over the coming years. Recent estimates suggest that with the popularity of large language models, the total energy consumption of inference now exceeds that of training (given the large number of users) . On the other hand, inferencing a pre-trained model (e.g. using ChatGPT) uses a relatively small amount of compute power with much fewer GPUs, but can be run by millions, and in the future, billions of users.
However, all this work has been so far focused on the jobs that are currently submitted to data centers and does not exploit the potential flexibility users could offer to the datacenter. Coupled with the rapid increase in power demand (from AI as well as transport and heating electrification) this is leading to a volatility in the supply and price of electricity . Solar and wind power represent cheap alternatives to conventional carbon-based generation but have variable outputs due to their weather dependence. This is driven by an increase in the number of data centers , and by GPUs consuming more power.
Specifically, DCFlex will establish five to ten flexibility hubs, demonstrating innovative data center and power supplier strategies that enable operational and deployment flexibility, streamline grid integration, and transition backup power solutions to grid assets. High upfront costs for advanced storage systems, grid upgrades and smart charging technologies create financial hurdles. The group said demand from large commercial customers, including data centers, would be responsible for much of that load growth. Profeta said the Duke group “particularly wanted to look at load flexibility to see whether it could be a near-term solution to handle load growth in this country amid some of the grid constraints. In Germany, grid operators have implemented sensor-less dynamic line ratings (DLR) across their networks, boosting capacity and saving billions in congestion costs. “While the Duke study highlights that the existing U.S. power grid has significant untapped capacity, it doesn’t address existing transmission constraints that can limit power delivery.
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Overall, the findings suggest that load flexibility offers a promising near-term strategy for regulators and market participants to more quickly integrate new loads, reduce the cost of capacity expansion and enable greater focus on the highest-value investments in the electric power system.” The study found that 76 GW of new load, which is equivalent to about 10% of the nation’s current aggregate peak demand, could be integrated with an average annual load curtailment rate of 0.25%. That’s the regulators at the state level, at the regional level, and also the sources of load, and also the utilities, the federal policy-makers overseeing the system. Researchers from Duke University have said that integrating more flexibility into U.S. power grids could help provide the energy needed to power future load growth, particularly the electricity needed to support artificial intelligence and data centers. When treated as operational infrastructure rather than a reporting byproduct, integrated data enables clearer accountability, more defensible decisions, and smoother execution across the organization.
While most of the growth in nuclear generation through 2030 is expected to occur in emerging economies, with China alone accounting for around 40 percent of the global increase, nuclear energy is also regaining strategic importance in many advanced economies, underpinned by supportive policy frameworks to extend the lifetime of reactors and add new capacity. Nuclear power output in 2025 was supported by reactor restarts in Japan, higher generation in France, and new capacity additions in China, India, and other countries. Emerging and developing economies remain “the main engines of electricity demand growth,” but consumption by advanced economies is also now increasing “after 15 years of stagnation.” One-fifth of the power demand increase through 2030 is expected to come from advanced economies. The Paris-based International Energy Agency released its annual report on global electricity systems and markets on February 6, showing the output of nuclear energy at record levels in 2025.
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Besides increasing the efficiency of underutilized data-centers, clock speed modulation could be used as a wild-card available to data center operators to significantly reduce their power consumption during extreme events . However, this possibility is not exploited since users submit fixed-duration jobs and expect to get consistent performance. For example, many HPC-based simulation codes and AI workloads have the capability to utilize various types of hardware https://www.antenna-re.info/practical-and-helpful-tips-27/ and job sizes.
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Today’s https://www.child-clothes.info/lessons-learned-about-28/ grid operators are tasked with reversing a vicious cycle of low reliability, unhappy customers, low collections, and falling revenues. This capability becomes more important with wider adoption of DERs on the grid (e.g., 15+% of distribution system peak), and it builds on the foundation of the functionalities unlocked by the technologies described above. Utilities can aggregate DERs and optimize dispatch alongside centralized (front-of-meter) assets.
Permitting complexity, cost and timelines require smarter system architecture. Every flexible asset deployed close to demand reduces redispatch costs and the need for emergency interventions. In 2022 alone, the Commission reported that congestion costs reached €5.2bn.
Increasing Voltage Complaints Demand Whole-System Solutions
Furthermore, bidirectional charging—or vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology—enables EVs to discharge stored energy back to the grid, effectively turning parked EVs into decentralised energy storage units. In addition to these generation and storage technologies, demand response & electric vehicles are emerging as potential game-changers. Interconnectors are a crucial source of both short-term and long-term flexibility for EU countries, including for their security of supply.
- The group said those periods are when flexibility (Figure 3) would be important, as end-use customers could temporarily reduce their electricity consumption from the grid through the use of on-site power and energy storage, temporal flexibility, spatial flexibility, and reduced operations.
- In order to deploy flexibility in data centers, there needs to be incentives for both users to participate and data centers to utilize flexibility for grid resilience.
- EPRI’s DCFlex initiative is exploring what’s possible when it comes to leveraging data centers to support a more reliable power system.
- As of 2024, nearly two-thirds of the EU’s electricity now comes from clean sources, meaning that growing variability is demanding flexible assets and an adaptable grid to manage shortfalls and surpluses.
- Norris said, “Our study demonstrates that existing U.S. power system capacity—intentionally designed to handle extreme peak demand swings—could accommodate significant load additions with modest flexibility measures.
Profeta added, “And then possibly maybe provide motivation for regulators to open proceedings to explore recommendations for how they should potentially enable this approach across their entire planning process. The study looked at 22 of the nation’s largest balancing authorities, which together serve about 95% of the country’s peak power load. Michael’s areas of expertise include DER hosting capacity analysis, DERMS, ADMS, and production cost modeling. He previously worked as a research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he helped utilities implement DERs and hosted capacity studies on non-wire alternatives and economic dispatch models. Michael Emmanuel is a Manager of Grid Operations with over 10 years of experience in utilities. We partner with utilities to help them build a more resilient grid and move towards a cleaner, brighter future through
Reducing congestion and curtailment through flexibility
Emerging large loads place new demands on data collection, forecasting, and modeling, particularly when customers seek to connect within one- to two-year windows. At the same time, utilities are exploring flexible interconnection concepts for load, including phased energization tied to upgrade completion and enforceable capacity caps. Contributions in aid of construction (CIAC), refundability, and “used and useful” determinations are increasingly scrutinized as large-load requests inflate infrastructure plans ahead of confirmed demand. Interconnecting large-load customers frequently necessitates major upgrades to distribution substations and feeders and may also trigger upstream transmission investments. Many large loads demand extremely high uptime or operational flexibility, driving interest in microgrids, on-site generation, and hybrid architectures that combine utility supply with customer-owned resources. Large-load growth—driven by data centers alongside advanced manufacturing, hydrogen electrolysis, crypto mining, and electrification clusters—is outpacing assumptions embedded in many traditional planning cycles.
Background on Grid Flexibility
AVANTech delivers expert design, NQA-1 fabrication, and innovative solid and liquid waste treatment technologies, plus specialty packaging Solutions and precision glovebox systems – engineered to meet the most demanding nuclear and environmental requirements. “As we serve our customers and meet their rapidly changing needs around reliability, affordability, and sustainability, we believe load growth from data centers presents a crucial opportunity to bring together stakeholders across the power and technology sectors to help solve some of the most complex grid management issues,” said Jim Burke, president and CEO of Vistra. For the electric sector, AI advances are key to managing the grid more efficiently by effectively integrating distributed resources, demand response, variable renewables, and energy storage with utility-scale grid resources. The recommendations highlighted the need for closer collaboration among all key stakeholders in powering the data centers that support our growing economy and underpin advances in AI technology. PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — EPRI today announced the launch of a new initiative—DCFlex—to explore how data centers can support the electric grid, enable better asset utilization, and support the clean energy transition.
