PNNL

The Department of Energy Office of Electricity’s Voices of Experience: Data Center Integration (VoE: Data Center)—a series of informal peer-to-peer roundtable conversations—focuses on the intersection of data centers and the grid. This effort convenes stakeholders for open dialogue and active listening to enhance learning and compile firsthand insights from those at the forefront of the intersection of data centers and the grid.

Fostering an open dialogue to capture the collective voice of participants

Recent analysis shows that between 2022 and 2024, the five-year load growth forecast for large load demand in the United States has increased from 23 GW to 128 GW. This growth is driven primarily by the expansion of data centers, including those for advancing artificial intelligence. Energizing data centers at the speed and scale required to support national priorities and meet customer needs requires close collaboration among stakeholders, streamlined processes, and improved modeling tools, among other actions. Identifying timely and innovative solutions to meeting the substantial electricity requirements of data centers and their desire to connect to the grid, while maintaining affordability and reliability, is paramount.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity launched the VoE: Data Center effort to foster open dialogue, bridge disparate perspectives, and cross-pollinate ideas among stakeholders to identify solutions. Findings from the effort will be disseminated in a report that captures the collective voice of participants.