From ESS News
In Texas, a new kind of reliability standard is reshaping where data centers choose to build and how they power their operations. Under a “kill switch” law that was adopted earlier this year, utilities can forcibly disconnect large, noncritical industrial users like hyperscale data centers during grid emergencies to keep electricity flowing to the largest number of people.
“Utilities across the country are warning operators to be ready for sudden power shutoffs,” explained James Roth, the head of global policy and government affairs at Bloom Energy. He told ESS News that, for operators with contractual uptime commitments, the risk of sudden shutoffs is “simply unsustainable.”
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20th Century utility monopolies consistently demonstrate that they’re not able to adapt to the required pace of energy transformation. They’re always the bottle-neck. Typical utility rate payers will never come first with BigOil&Gas, utility monopoly shareholders, wealthy AI developers or opportunistic Crypto miners. That is why widely distributed solar parking lot micro grids are the quickest way for cities &towns to create a matrix of reliable, robust, renewable energy generation & storage right where most rate payers live, work & commute from large apartments & condos to shopping centers, business parks & various municipal facilities. No new utility transmission, site acquisition or other site improvement spending required. And no permitting or interconnection delays or armies of litigious NIMBYS.
All the new health care & higher education facilities in my county have already covered 80% of their big hot asphalt parking lots with solar canopies +on-site BESS +EV chargers. Mundane Solar Abundance. They’re already getting it & fortifying their local distribution grids.
This is really cook to hear about. I’m a solar tech student in Green Bay WI, I have some current event articles due soon. Where is this that your hospitals and other anchor institutions are putting PV on their parking lots? I want to learn more about it