POWER & THE GRID
How data centers use and support the grid
Data centers need large amounts of reliable electricity. How and when they draw it matters as much as how much they use.
ELECTRICITY USE
Data centers use a small share of U.S. electricity
U.S. data centers used about 176 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, roughly 4.4% of the national total. Use held near 60 TWh from 2014 to 2016. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory projects data centers could reach 6.7% to 12% of U.S. electricity by 2028.
Share of U.S. electricity use, 2023
1 square = 1%
Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report (Dec. 2024)
FLEXIBLE DEMAND
Flexible loads can scale back during peak demand
Some large data centers are designed to reduce consumption quickly when the grid is under stress, returning capacity to homes and businesses when it is needed most.
Grid demand over a day
INFRASTRUCTURE
Built around substantial electrical infrastructure
Local investment
Connecting a large facility often requires new substations, lines, and interconnection equipment. Those upgrades are often funded as part of the project and strengthen the regional system that serves nearby homes and businesses.
Transmission
High-voltage supply arrives over transmission lines and is stepped down through on-site substations and transformers to the levels computing equipment uses. Siting near existing transmission limits the need for new lines across the community.
Cooling
Computing equipment generates heat, so every data center needs a reliable way to remove it. Cooling design determines how much additional electricity and water a facility uses.
MYTH AND FACT
“A data center strains the power grid.”
Tap for the fact →Large data centers can operate as flexible loads that reduce consumption quickly during peak demand, returning capacity to the grid when it is needed most. Grid operators, including ERCOT, run demand response programs that large loads can join.
Source: ERCOT demand response programsCOMMON QUESTION
How much electricity do data centers use?
U.S. data centers used about 176 terawatt-hours in 2023, roughly 4.4% of total U.S. electricity, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The same report projects 6.7% to 12% by 2028.
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