Back-to-back heat waves are putting parts of the United States power grid under growing strain just as electricity demand is surging from another major source: AI-powered data centers that require massive amounts of energy around the clock.
Together, those pressures are creating a new kind of stress test for grid systems that were largely designed for a very different era, Bloomberg News (via GovTech Today) reported.
What's happening?
In recent weeks, operators responsible for large areas of the country have issued emergency warnings as extreme heat necessitates air-conditioning use while eroding power reserves.
No grid has been under more pressure than PJM Interconnection, which serves 67 million people from the Midwest through the Mid-Atlantic.
Its service area includes Northern Virginia, one of the world's biggest data center clusters.
Reliability warnings have also hit the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and the Southwest Power Pool as temperatures rise.
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PJM reached 168 gigawatts on July 2, topping a peak that had stood for 20 years, Bloomberg reported.
"There are expressed concerns from RTOs [regional transmission operators] that we are reaching tipping points," said Timothy Fox, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners LLC.
Forecasters say some of these reliability issues are surfacing during weather that is unusually warm, but not necessarily historically unprecedented.
Why does it matter?
When electricity systems are pushed to their limits, consequences can include higher power bills, conservation requests, heavier reliance on backup generators, and, in the worst cases, outages during dangerous heat.
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Hotter and more humid nights can make the problem worse by keeping air conditioners running later into the evening and stretching demand well beyond daytime peak hours.
AI is becoming an increasingly disruptive part of that equation.
Data centers can power tools, including systems that help utilities forecast electricity demand, improve efficiency, and better integrate solar and wind energy into the grid.
At the same time, data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water and put added pressure on local utilities.
Bradley Harvey, lead forecaster at Vaisala Xweather, said that even mildly hot weather had an impact.
"One of the more interesting takeaways from this summer is that many of the reliability concerns and demand records have occurred during weather that has been notably warm, but generally not historically extreme," Harvey observed.
What's being done?
This month, PJM both issued emergency alerts and asked the Department of Energy to let data centers use backup generators, Bloomberg reported.
The grid operator is also planning an emergency auction after the summer to make data centers pay for the generation capacity they need.
Some parts of the country appear to be in a stronger position than others.
Texas' main grid has added substantial amounts of solar, wind, and battery storage, helping it meet record demand without declaring an energy emergency in nearly two years.
Trudi Webster, an ERCOT spokeswoman, said the operator "continues a reliability-first approach to grid operations."
Gary Cunningham, director of market research for Tradition Energy, offered an even starker assessment.
"It'll take years and billions, if not trillions of dollars in investment. That's just the sad truth," he warned.
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