BESS as a ‘Swiss Army knife’ for data centers

Artificial intelligence is changing how data centers consume electricity. New workloads are introducing levels of variability that conventional power systems were not designed to handle, creating operational challenges both inside the facility and across the wider grid. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are proving an essential tool to manage these rapid demand fluctuations, as S&P Global analyst Henrique Ribeiro explains.

By

Henrique Ribeiro

20 Jun 2026

Batteries are set to play a central role in balancing grids in the face of rising demand from data centers. | Image: esVolta

Artificial intelligence is changing how data centers consume electricity. New workloads are introducing levels of variability that conventional power systems were not designed to handle, creating operational challenges both inside the facility and across the wider grid. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are proving an essential tool to manage these rapid demand fluctuations, as S&P …

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