Can the U.S. Power Grid Sustain the Exponential Rise in Planned AI Driven Data Center Connections?

Powermag.com: Steve Empedocles

AI-Data-Center-Power-Demand
Image: Powermag.com

Over the last several months, artificial intelligence (AI) has gained increasing popularity and remains dependent upon large server farms for processing AI’s big data requirement, at essentially, the speed of light. Planned new construction for enormous data centers are emerging nearly in every large city across the nation.

With America’s goal of becoming the “global leader in the AI race,” power utilities at both the generation and power delivery levels, struggle to maintain AI’s swift and vast desire for power. New electric generating plants and power delivery system upgrades remain behind the challenge while presenting a new dilemma: a more vulnerable electric grid with predictive power interruptions, brownouts, and potential blackouts.

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Are the Expected Trump Tariffs Going to Cripple the Power Energy Sector?

Utility Dive: Brian Martucci

Tariffs-Energy-Storage
Image: Utility Dive-Nikada via Getty Images

The threat of trade tariffs by the Trump administration are causing disarray, madness and confusion with the Power Energy markets, and particularly the battery energy storage sector. With no major signs of improvements in inflationary pressures, will new tariffs aid or harm the somewhat “booming energy storage industry?”

How will new imposed tariffs affect the nations battery storage performance and valuation based on cost fluctuations for batteries, energy storage demand (variations for new orders), goods for raw materials (delays in supply chain), and so on?

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The Forecast for Renewable Resources Could Rise 300 Percent Based on Future Energy Demands

NBCNews.com – Energy, Spencer Kimball (CNBC)

NBC-News-Renewables-Farm-Palm-Springs-CA-Getty-Images
NBCNews.com-Renewables Farm, Palm Springs, CA (Mario Tama-Getty Images)

“Renewable energy demand will triple over the next seven years as data center growth accelerates to facilitate the proliferation of artificial intelligence, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum said Wednesday.

NextEra added 3,000 megawatts of renewable and storage projects to its order backlog in the second quarter. Of those, 860 megawatts — or 28% — come from agreements with Google to power the tech company’s data centers.”

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Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference (2024)

KnoxTNToday.com – Anne Brock (Our Town Outdoors)

2024-TN-Valley-Solar-Storage-Conference
KnoxTNToday.com (2024 TN Valley Solar Storage Conference)

“How is solar transforming utility and business decisions in the Tennessee Valley? What policies and trends will affect life here over future decades when it comes to clean energy choices? Industry leaders plan on gathering this fall to tackle the challenges and opportunities at the 2024 Tennessee Valley Solar + Storage Conference.

This conference will be located at the Westin Huntsville in Alabama, in the heart of Tennessee Valley Authority territory. It is organized and hosted by the Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association (November 20 – 21).”

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Duke Energy Offers New Incentives for Residential Solar Power

DailyEnergyInsider.com – Dave Kovaleski

DEI-Duke Energy (Shutterstock-302004626)
DEI-Duke Energy (Shutterstock-302004626)

“Duke Energy has enrolled more than 1,300 customers in North Carolina in a new pilot program that is designed to make a home solar plus battery system more affordable.

The PowerPair pilot initiative is a one-time incentive-based program that offers up to $9,000 in incentives for residential customers who install a new solar plus battery system. The total incentive is based on the approved capacity of the solar array and battery installed.

The PowerPair program, approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) in January and launched in May, was developed in collaboration with various stakeholder groups at the direction of the NCUC.”

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There Remains a Shortage of Semiconductor Chip Professionals in the Workplace

TSMC-chip-plant
TechPowerUp.com

By EETimes.com / DesignLines – Fabricating newer integrated circuits is becoming an increasing challenge especially in light of trying to keep up with the rising demand. “Identifying and securing tradespeople who can handle the intricate needs of chip fab construction is something that needs more attention and thought, Shari Liss, executive director of the SEMI Foundation, a nonprofit arm of SEMI that focuses on workforce development programs.”

A new chip manufacturing facility was being constructed in Arizona where the production start-up processes were delayed by nearly a year where the “Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) had to delay its production start date to sometime in 2025.”

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