Sunrun solar + storage projects could soon power AI data centers

Sunrun is partnering with a distributed generation management platform to have residential and commercial solar-plus-storage systems reduce grid demand from hyperscale data centers. This service with Voltus, ostensibly similar to a virtual power plant program, would allot “a portion” of capacity from Sunrun’s installed solar and storage project base to grid operators PJM and MISO, according to a press release. They can then tap into those distributed energy sources in response to data centers’ energy pull, and system owners would be paid for their energy exports. “Meeting growing energy demand requires us to maximize every single electron available across the country,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell in a press release. “In collaboration with Voltus, we are providing critical capacity from home batteries supported by funding from hyperscalers. This is just the beginning of what distributed energy assets can achieve.” Energy demand on the U.S. grid is increasing, and with it the cost of electricity, as the number of hyperscale data centers built across the country grows. These data centers are supporting generative AI technologies, like large language models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In 2023, grid-tied data centers accounted for less than 5% of the country’s energy usage. But according to a study published by the Congressional Research Service, hyperscale data center proliferation could double or even triple that energy usage by 2028. Voltus introduced its “Bring Your Own Capacity” program last year in response to increasing energy demand from data centers. The company hopes this service offers a fast solution to data center energy needs. And that urgency is growing. In June, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged grid operators to bring data centers online faster, and FERC members voted unanimously to support this initiative. “[Bring Your Own Capacity] is about turning distributed resources into capacity the grid can count on, and maximizing value for the end user,” said Dana Guernsey, CEO of Voltus, in a press release. “This partnership brings together Sunrun’s residential scale with Voltus’s market-integrated flexibility platform so distributed capacity can support reliability, affordability, and growth as electricity demand increases.” Tell Us What You Think!