The grid operates in seconds, but financial settlement still moves in months

Big Tech is allocating hundreds of billions of dollars for data center expansions; creating reporting frameworks for energy flexibility is the next step, writes Andrii Garanin at Silicon Foundation.

By Andrii Garanin • June 26, 2026

Data centers are ready to negotiate flexibility for speed

Hyperscalers want their data centers online and utilities want to provide interconnections, but experts say both are still looking for common operating guidelines.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 26, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

ASHRAE to tackle data centers, thermal systems at annual conference

The engineering society’s annual meeting, starting this weekend in Austin, Texas, will have programs on managing energy costs and integrating energy storage projects, among others.

By Joe Burns • June 26, 2026

445 GW — mainly solar, storage — to come online by 2030 as demand growth surges: ICF

PJM and ERCOT have no spare capacity for demand growth beyond 2027, the consulting firm said. Demand response and GETs can help meet an expected 39% jump in U.S. electric use by 2035, it suggests.

By Ethan Howland • June 26, 2026

3 home energy providers offer 16.8 GW of distributed capacity to utilities, hyperscalers

An executive for Sunrun said active “distributed power plant” programs like one in Puerto Rico underscore the resource’s potential.

By Brian Martucci • June 24, 2026

K-12 schools can soften energy-cost hikes with performance contracts, Ameresco chief says

The contracts offer a way for school districts to lock in costs as electricity prices rise, says Louis Maltezos, co-president of the energy infrastructure company.

By Joe Burns • June 23, 2026

GETs, demand response can ease near-term data center electricity price pressure: report

Data centers could use up to 15% of all U.S. electricity by 2030, up from 5% in 2024, Berkeley Lab researchers said in a separate analysis.

By Ethan Howland • June 23, 2026

EVs are already on your grid. Visibility is the missing piece.

The flexible loads utilities need exist on your system, but you can't manage what you can't see.

By NewGen's Strategic Analytics Team • June 22, 2026

Managed, bidirectional EV charging advances with utility, automaker support

General Motors and Rivian announcements this month underscore the growing U.S. electric vehicle fleet’s load management potential.

By Brian Martucci • June 17, 2026

Heat pump shipments rise through April, with more use for both heating and cooling

Ongoing legal battles regarding non-condensing commercial gas water heaters and residential gas furnaces have not yet slowed U.S. gas storage water-heater shipments, AHRI data shows.

By Joe Burns • June 17, 2026

In wildfire country, every home should be a microgrid

As wildfire risk grows, there are increasing calls to “bury the lines.” Undergrounding has its place, but it's not the only answer, writes Cameron Brooks, executive director of Think Microgrid.

By Cameron Brooks • June 16, 2026

What could save Arizona millions in customer and infrastructure costs? Residential pool pumps.

If Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project customers were to schedule pool pump operations at midday instead of at night, it could shift up to 820 MW into off-peak tariffs, ASU researchers said.

By Vladimir Abdelnour and Nathan Johnson • June 12, 2026

Know the hurdles to using generators for demand response participation

Virginia passed a law encouraging utilities to offer big power users the opportunity to participate in load-shedding programs, but for facilities, signing up is not an easy decision.

By Robert Freedman • June 11, 2026

Sonoma Clean Power aims for 1,000 no-cost smart thermostats amid VPP push

The public utility will use $5 million in state funding and partner with community groups to boost participation among lower-income customers, it said last week.

By Brian Martucci • June 10, 2026

Supreme Court sends furnace case back to appeals court

The top court agreed with the Trump administration that Biden-era rules effectively eliminating non-condensing gas furnaces and water heaters from the market are based on an incomplete legal review.

By Robert Freedman • June 9, 2026

Not-for-profit utilities turn to energy storage as data centers drive cost, reliability concerns

Reliability, power price hedging and avoided infrastructure investment are among the top reasons for the battery push, NRECA said.

By Brian Martucci • June 9, 2026

How load flexibility buys time for America’s data center boom

In markets where supply and demand are out of balance, grid connection increasingly comes with a choice: either bring the needed power yourself, or bring flexibility, write experts at ICF.

By Shanthi Muthiah and Himali Parmar • June 9, 2026

Big, power-ready facilities drive industrial real estate market

Companies are looking for modern facilities that can accommodate power-hungry automation, industrial experts said in a report first provided to Facilities Dive.

By Joe Burns • June 8, 2026

Can stadiums be energy-efficient? USGBC map shows that many of them are

The U.S. Green Building Council has conferred LEED status on 31 stadiums in North America, from the 9,500-seat Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas, to the 88,000-seat Estadio Banorte in Mexico City.  

By Robert Freedman • June 8, 2026

The benefits of a unified billing, payment, communications platform

One platform. Fewer silos. Better billing and payment experiences for utilities and customers.

June 8, 2026

Rising load growth reshapes cooperative portfolios and strategy

Large loads pose additional challenges for cooperatives. Planning strategically is critical.

By Albert Gabberty, Burns & McDonnell • June 8, 2026

Colorado co-op delivers 100% renewables in March, a first

Holy Cross Energy CEO Bryan Hannegan said the utility plans to expand its programs for smart electrification and demand flexibility, and selectively add new flexible renewable resources.

By Diana DiGangi • June 4, 2026

Customer experience, better modeling can boost demand-side portfolio: report

The Brattle Group’s report lays out a framework for increasing demand-side resources to mitigate the impacts of load growth, variable renewables and distributed electrification.

By Brian Martucci • June 3, 2026

Google to fund 100-MW virtual power plant in PJM in ‘first-of-its-kind’ deal

Google has worked to make its data centers flexible, the company’s global head of data center energy told Utility Dive, but it’s often faster and more cost effective to pay other customers to shift their electricity usage.

By Meris Lutz • June 3, 2026

What’s on the mind of EEI conference attendees? Labor, AI, affordability and more.

Utility Dive talked to registrants before the conference to hear how industry changes are impacting their work.

By Meris Lutz • June 2, 2026