DCD Panel: Is the data center a benefit or burden to the power grid?

DCD invited me to speak on a panel on demand-response and the strain created by data centers on the power grid.

You can watch the recording here.

With the data center growing in societal importance and functioning as the invisible infrastructure which kept the ‘lights on’ during the pandemic, the way in which said infrastructure is powered and its role in the global energy transition is currently undergoing increased scrutiny. Is the multi-MW campus a friend or foe to the already strained grid? What role can demand response play in reversing distributive congestion?

We ask our panel what role the modern data center will play in shaping the grid of the future.