{"id":34353,"date":"2026-02-19T01:13:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/data-centers-can-tap-batteries-microgrids-for-faster-interconnection-nema\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T01:13:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T09:13:32","slug":"data-centers-can-tap-batteries-microgrids-for-faster-interconnection-nema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/data-centers-can-tap-batteries-microgrids-for-faster-interconnection-nema\/","title":{"rendered":"Data centers can tap batteries, microgrids for faster interconnection: NEMA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/static\/img\/play.svg?500116090725\" alt=\"-\"><br \/>\n        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">5 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"https:\/\/text-to-speech.divecdn.com\/newspost\/812471\/2026-02-18_13.57.16\/data-centers-batteries-microgrids-nema.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Dive Brief:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Large data centers can boost on-site safety and reliability while providing significant grid benefits by shifting from proprietary electrical infrastructure designs to more standardized frameworks, a top <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>National Electrical Manufacturers Association<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span>official told Utility Dive on Monday.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Utilities increasingly value data centers capable of \u201cislanding\u201d from the grid during periods of peak power demand by falling back on on-site energy storage and generation, said Patrick Hughes, NEMA\u2019s senior vice president of strategy, technical and industry affairs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cWe see demand response playing an important role for the grid \u2026 it\u2019s an underutilized resource, and we\u2019d like to see it used more widely,\u201d Hughes said, echoing comments NEMA made in a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.makeitelectric.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Documents\/Public\/Grid-Modernization-Coalition-Letter-9.17.25.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>letter to Congress<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> last fall. Data centers can use onsite batteries and microgrids to provide essential flexibility to utilities without interrupting their operations, he said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Dive Insight:<\/h3>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Computing facilities representing <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/newsletter.cleanview.co\/p\/bypassing-the-grid-how-data-centers\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>about 30%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> of all planned U.S. data center capacity plan to power their operations with behind-the-meter resources, according to an analysis published last week by the energy research shop Cleanview.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Ninety percent of those projects were announced in 2025, which Cleanview said indicates that data center developers are growing impatient with large-load interconnection queues that can stretch up to seven years in some regions.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Of the behind-the-meter assets Cleanview could identify through permits or purchase orders, about 75% use natural gas as a fuel, and \u201cvirtually none of the developers planned to build renewables in the short term,\u201d Cleanview founder Michael Thomas wrote in the analysis. While buyers of the largest gas turbine models generally face <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/ge-vernova-gas-turbine-investor\/807662\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>multiyear backlogs<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span>, data centers can procure smaller machines \u2014 such as mobile generators, reciprocating engines and aeroderivative turbines \u2014 within months as they race to power up, Thomas wrote.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cData centers are trying to get through utility [interconnection] queues quickly \u2026 and being able to show that you can island during peak times, that you\u2019re not going to put a lot of stress on the grid, will get you through the queue faster,\u201d NEMA\u2019s Hughes said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Data center developers and operators are adding gas-fired generation to reduce the amount of interconnection capacity they require and build in redundancy once they\u2019re hooked up to the grid, Hughes said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>But data centers increasingly value energy storage as a behind-the-meter asset because it provides additional redundancy, it can help optimize power quality to protect sensitive electronics and it can pair with zero-emissions generation to advance technology companies\u2019 sustainability goals, Hughes said.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>On Monday, energy management provider Energy Vault said it would purchase <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260209475961\/en\/Energy-Vault-and-Peak-Energy-Announce-Strategic-Development-Agreement-to-Develop-Sodium-Ion-Storage-Solution-for-AI-First-Data-Center-Operators-Includes-1.5-GWh-Supply-Agreement-to-Accelerate-Global-Deployment-and-Reduce-Costs\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1.5 GWh of energy storage from Peak Energy<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> and co-develop a \u201cdedicated energy storage architecture designed specifically for AI Neoclouds and AI-first data center operators\u201d with the sodium-ion battery technology company.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Industry analysts see data center companies willing to pay a premium for energy storage and other behind-the-meter assets amid growing public concern around large loads\u2019 impacts on residents\u2019 electric bills, too.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cThe ability to avoid much of the political backlash around data center-electric affordability and protracted interconnection timelines is the appeal of [behind-the-meter assets], albeit at elevated price points,\u201d Julien Dumoulin-Smith, a power sector analyst with Jefferies, wrote in a Monday investor note.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Battery energy storage \u201cis an increasingly critical part of the data center infrastructure,\u201d Dumoulin-Smith added.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Last month, NEMA released <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nema.org\/standards\/view\/data-center-design-considerations-for-energy-storage-systems\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>voluntary standards for energy storage systems<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nema.org\/standards\/view\/data-center-design-considerations-for-microgrid-energy-integration\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>microgrids<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> on data center campuses. Hughes said NEMA wants to bring some order to what\u2019s now a largely proprietary design process, with each major data center developer referencing its own internal standards. Competing standards can raise uncertainty during the engineering and design phases of a project, slowing procurement and increasing up-front costs, he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cWe see a lot of benefit in \u2026 starting to standardize around how to deploy storage and microgrids because then you get safer, more efficient data centers,\u201d Hughes said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>NEMA is working with ASHRAE and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on a more comprehensive guidebook for data center design, Hughes said, calling it \u201ca one-stop shop for data center developers and owners.\u201d It\u2019s slated for release in early summer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The guidelines should be useful for utilities in data center hot spots, too, he said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201c[They] provide a common technical framework, which may help compress review cycles and reduce the associated burdens on resource planning departments,\u201d Hughes said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/data-centers-batteries-microgrids-nema\/812471\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Listen to the article 5 min This audio is auto-generated. 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