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Rising data center electricity use risks blackouts during winter storms
The explosive growth of data centers has put the stability of the electrical grid at risk, especially during harsh winter weather conditions. According to a recent report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the demand for electricity is expected to increase by 2.5% this winter, with data centers playing a significant role in driving this growth.
The data highlights that certain regions such as the mid-Atlantic, U.S. West, and U.S. Southeast are particularly vulnerable due to the rapid expansion of data center infrastructure. The NERC report emphasizes that prolonged cold snaps could pose an existential threat to the grid’s reliability.
Notably, Mark Olson, NERC manager of reliability assessments, pointed out that data centers’ consistent electricity consumption throughout the day would strain battery resources during prolonged power outages. In extreme scenarios, this could result in catastrophic blackouts.
Source: techcrunch.com
