The growing free-market push to let data centers go off grid

““With the need to get significant amounts of power to new data centers, the concept has begun to gain traction with policymakers. Earlier this month, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) proposed a bill that would exempt self-contained power islands from the Federal Power Act, which governs wholesale electricity markets and transmission planning.

“The worst thing that happens is, whoever said it was too expensive, they might be right, and nothing gets built,” Fisher said on the podcast. “Best case scenario, we’ve opened up a window to a brand new industry that could go gangbusters.”

Mike Jacobs, senior manager of energy at Union of Concerned Scientists, told Latitude Media, adding that data centers are the biggest growth opportunity the industry has had in decades. “…what consumer advocates like about it is, ‘Go ahead and try. Thank you for leaving us out of it.’””

https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/the-growing-free-market-push-to-let-data-centers-go-off-grid/