Bridging the Power Gap

Electric grid operators plan for extreme
conditions. For example, consider a deep
winter freeze that spans the Western
United States and sends electricity demand
soaring as output from solar and wind farms
plummets. Grid operators must ensure they have enough power generation capacity from other sources to keep the lights on and contingency plans in place in case they fall short.

Such extreme events are rare, but when they
occur, the grid has less available peak power
capacity to meet the demand.
“Grid operators need more tools so communities have power when they need it,” said Pete DiSanto, Executive Vice President of Data Centers with Enchanted Rock, which has more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of natural gas generation in operation or under construction at more than 370 locations. “But when you ask to connect a 500-megawatt data center load, they go, ‘We are already stretched and can’t deal with that amount of load for five more years.’”

Grid operators “can’t deal” because electric
power grids are maxed out – they cannot absorb
additional industrial loads and guarantee the
lights will stay on during the next extreme
event. Supply reserve margins are tight,
and transmission capacity is backlogged to
interconnect new supplies and large loads.

One solution to this challenge is to leverage the flexibility of onsite power generation, he noted. For example, Enchanted Rock’s “Bridge-to-Grid” program uses onsite natural gas generation to accelerate time to power for large loads like data centers. The generation, configured in a fault-tolerant design, provides around-the clock power to the site until a grid connection is established and then remains available as backup power for the data center and for the grid during times of system stress.

“Power capacity constraints are a top-tier
challenge for data center development,” said
Santiago Suinaga, Chief Executive Officer of
Infrastructure Masons (iMasons). “Many of our members support the development of data centers that require hundreds of megawatts to more than a gigawatt of power capacity, and they are looking for innovative solutions that bridge the power gap to enable the sustainable growth of our industry.”

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Leveraging Reserves

The flexibility for data center operators to
switch to onsite power generation allows
electric grid operators to connect a new
data center load to the grid and maintain
readiness for extreme conditions, explained
Madison Ruta, Senior Director, Microgrid
Development, at Enchanted Rock. That’s
because a data center with reliable onsite
power can accept more readily available nonfirm, or interruptible, service from the grid.

“We’re trying to accelerate that interconnect
timeline,” Ruta said. “One way we do that is
by helping the data center negotiate faster
service with the utility if the data center can
be flexible and accept non-firm service by
filling the gaps with onsite generation.”

This flexible generation strategy to accelerate
time to power for data centers is echoed in
the recent “Rethinking Load Growth” study
by a team of researchers at Duke University.
The study finds that as much as 126 GW of
new load could be added to the U.S. electric
power grid if the new load can be temporarily
curtailed during times of grid stress.

The study homes in on the fact that electric
grid operators make “intentional planning
decisions to maintain sizeable reserves during
infrequent peak demand events.” This excess
capacity is sufficient “to accommodate
significant constant new loads, provided such
loads can be safely scaled back during some
hours of the year.”

Enchanted Rock’s natural gas generation
provides data centers with the requisite
flexibility to scale back their use of the grid when required. This type of flexibility may become the only path to secure grid connections in certain markets, noted DiSanto. For example, proposed legislation in Texas would require any new load that’s 75 MW or above to be interruptible.

“You can control your onsite generation, but
you have no control over the feed to your site,” he explained. “That’s one of many examples that are emerging. Large loads can’t expect the same treatment they got when they were 50 megawatts as when they are 500 megawatts.”

Growing with the Grid

Most data centers are equipped with
onsite backup generators to maintain
service availability during electric
power grid outages. Enchanted Rock’s natural
gas generation also provides this emergency
backup service, with the same or better
performance compared to traditional diesel
backup, according to the company.

The Duke University study highlights the
opportunity for data center operators
with onsite generation to also prevent grid
emergencies through active participation with
the grid.

“They can offer to the utility, ‘Let’s work
together. I can do some things on my side that
will help you,’” DiSanto said.

Enchanted Rock’s generators run firm, no-notice pipeline delivered natural gas, which
emits fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases
than diesel, the traditional fuel source for
backup generators, noted Ruta. The cleaner-burning fuel streamlines the air permitting
process for continuous operation, which gives
Enchanted Rock’s generators the ability to
bridge the gap while a data center waits for
grid integration.

Once a grid connection is established, the
generation remains available to actively
participate with the grid in addition to
providing emergency backup generation for the data center.

Growing with the Grid

The ability to provide flexibility to the
grid – to use the onsite generators
during times of peak demand or grid
stress – also allows grid planners to increase
grid capacity with solar and wind, which are
intermittent, instead of new coal or natural
gas power plants, noted Ruta.

“If the data center comes in and says, ‘Hey,
I have flexible generation,’ the utility can
continue integrating solar and wind. The
utility will know that during gaps in renewable
production, data centers can switch their load
to onsite generation and alleviate strain on
the grid,” she explained.

Calls for this type of interaction and partnership with the utilities to solve the power challenge increased among iMasons in the weeks after the “Rethinking Load Growth” study was published, noted Suinaga.

The days are gone when a data center
developer could walk into a community and
expect a connection to the power grid, no
questions asked. To maintain sustainable and
responsible growth requires partnerships and
relationships with different stakeholders like
local utilities and energy companies that show
the data center is an asset for the community.

“Enchanted Rock brings a solution to the
community that makes the grid more efficient
and more reliable,” Suinaga said. “Our
industry benefits from this type of innovative approach.”

Electric power grids are maxed out – they cannot absorb additional industrial loads and guarantee the lights will stay on during the next extreme event. One solution to this challenge is Enchanted Rock’s “Bridge-to-Grid” program that uses onsite natural gas generation to accelerate time to power for large loads like data centers.