Serving large loads from data center growth while safeguarding grid reliability and affordability.
Overview
Serving new large loads, including data centers, creates opportunities and challenges to maintaining a reliable and affordable grid. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provide analysis, tools, and technical assistance to appropriately plan for new resources or infrastructure. We study innovative planning mechanisms, robust ratemaking practices, and efficient operating procedures that grid planners and operators can consider to accelerate the energization of large loads while maintaining an affordable and reliable grid for all customers.
Our researchers provide electric industry professionals with potential solutions for accelerating large load connections as well as a monthly review of the latest literature on key large-load related issues. We are also currently performing a series of analyses to understand the efficacy of physical and financial risk mitigation strategies in a variety of different utility operating environments under different large load realization levels.
Our Work
Our researchers support regulators’, utilities’, and other industry stakeholders’ efforts to manage the physical and financial opportunities and challenges from large load growth. We are currently assessing the efficacy of emerging practices around cost allocation and cost recovery to mitigate the risks of cost shifts to non-large load ratepayers. We are also studying how load flexibility–for large loads as well as other loads–can mitigate potential rate increases driven by large load growth.
Impacts
- We provide training and technical assistance for state and federal decision-makers and others on topics related to new large load customers.
- Our researchers explore ways to manage the physical and financial challenges from large load growth.
- We address affordability concerns related to large load growth.
Rapid growth in demand from data centers and other large loads is creating a range of new challenges that have slowed their connection to the electric grid. Our research seeks to highlight innovative solutions that can improve speed to power.
Electric tariffs provide the terms and conditions under which customers take service from a utility. Large load tariffs are one regulatory tool that has been proposed or approved in many states. Our research identifies current approaches being implemented or considered in design and implementation of large load tariffs.
Related Publications & Resources
