Featured in Powering AI – 03-2026

Need for speed

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are already regularly deployed in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications for data centers, but current market conditions are now driving new deployment needs and strategies. Blathnaid O’Dea hears from industry insiders about increasingly popular approaches like bring your own capacity (BYOC) and flexible grid connections (FGC), and why batteries can provide services beyond speed to power that gas turbines can’t.

By

Blathnaid O’Dea

02 Mar 2026

Batteries can be the key to getting final approval for grid connections for data centers. | Image: Burns & McDonnell

Speed to power is the biggest prerequisite for data center developers in the United States. It takes 12 to 24 months on average to build a data center, whereas securing a connection to the electricity grid can take up to three times as long. “In today’s market, power solutions for high-demand applications like data centers …

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