For decades, utilities planned grids around a predictable link between population, economic activity, weather, and consumption, with demand rising gradually and investments following long-term forecasts. Commercial demand is now taking the lead, disrupting that pattern and putting new pressure on planning assumptions. The shift matters because conventional forecasting and infrastructure timelines may no longer match how load is actually developing, making a rethink of grid planning necessary.
Seyed Madaeni, chief executive and co-founder of Verse, argues that data centers should not be granted special treatment in order to obtain power more quickly. Instead, he contends that projects which make their electricity demand more predictable, controllable and financially secure should get a clearer route to service. The argument weighs in on how grid operators and regulators should prioritize connection requests as large computing facilities seek faster access to electricity.
Exelon and Invenergy have filed complaints at FERC seeking changes to capacity market rules. Exelon wants FERC to require PJM to adopt a prompt capacity auction, while Invenergy wants the Midcontinent grid operator to allow HVDC merchant lines to receive capacity payments. The disputes could reshape how capacity is procured and how merchant transmission is compensated in those markets.
The Energy Department’s Battery Manufacturing Accelerator aims to plug gaps in domestic material and component supplies over the next few years as U.S. battery demand looks set to quadruple.
Arizona Public Service told regulators it expects electricity sales to double by 2041 and peak demand to rise about 3.4% annually over the next 15 years, driven by industry and data centers. In its integrated resource plan filed Friday, the utility also proposed extending coal use to 2038. The filing matters because it signals a longer reliance on coal and a need to add capacity to meet faster demand growth.
How much more generation will the U.S. need to meet rising electricity demand? It’s an important question, but it isn’t the only one the power industry needs to answer. As data centers, advanced manufacturing, and broader electrification increase demand, the growing challenge is
Caterpillar is expanding production of engines and turbines to meet demand from data centers. Its third-quarter order backlog reached $78 billion, almost double the level a year earlier. The step highlights how data-center growth is straining power-equipment supply and giving the maker unusually strong order visibility.
A field demonstration on a 500-MW-class coal-fired unit found that targeted fuel chemistry can mitigate severe slagging and fouling while producing measurable boiler performance gains. Superheater spray demand fell by about 50%, and reheat spray demand by 53% during the comparison. This matters because ash chemistry can be treated as an operational lever for improving boiler control and coal-unit performance, not merely as a fuel constraint.