Renewable Integration
Alberto Del Rosso is EPRI transmission operations and planning program manager. Anna Lafoyiannis is EPRI transmission operations and planning senior team lead.
Fueled by current and expected growth in data centers, intelligence, electric vehicles, and the onshoring of manufacturing, many areas across the country are experiencing exponential increases in electricity demand. For example, data center alley in Northern Virginia, home of the world's largest concentration of internet servers, is a visible example of the rise in demand.
The local utility recently forecasted demand would grow eighty-five percent in its service territory over the next fifteen years. What's more, EPRI recently released a study noting that overall U.S. electricity demand may increase by nine percent due to data centers.
Facilitating the growth in electricity demand in a reliable manner is top of mind for the energy sector. Maximizing existing grid infrastructure is a critical first step, especially when considering the long lead times in building new transmission infrastructure and the backup of interconnection queues for new generation projects.
To meet the challenges and opportunities this scenario poses, EPRI is launching a multi-year initiative to help energy companies respond to rapid load growth, the changing generation mix, and extreme weather.