Abstract:
“Utilizing Noncoincident Needs to Site Data Centers with Solar+Storage at Existing Gas Plants”
Emilia Chojkiewicz* (University of California, Berkeley), Aneesha Manocha (University of California, Berkeley), Umed Paliwal (University of California, Berkeley), Duncan Callaway (University of California, Berkeley), and Amol Phadke (University of California, Berkeley)
Data centers and large electricity loads are power hungry, raising concerns about higher electricity costs, increased emissions, and grid reliability. We show that pairing solar and battery storage with underutilized natural gas plants offers a practical near-term pathway to supply reliable, affordable industrial power at scale. Using eight years of hourly weather data, we optimize the hybrid solar+storage configuration at 68 existing gas plants near data center developments, with natural gas providing no more than 5% of total energy. Across these sites, levelized power costs range from $60-138/MWh, competitive with data centers’ recent contract prices for 24/7 clean power. We also find limited overlap between periods when gas backup is needed and grid stress across most regions of the United States today, allowing gas units to provide dual roles: facilitating large load integration while supporting grid reliability. By leveraging existing infrastructure, this approach can scale quickly to meet rapid load growth while hedging against demand uncertainty, though it requires careful coordination among utilities, regulators, and large load customers.
*Denotes presenter