Energy Dept. directs data centers to use backup generators during heat wave, freeing up power for AC
By Ella Nilsen, CNN
(CNN) — As a dangerous heat wave bakes major East Coast cities, Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed data centers in the mid-Atlantic this week to use their backup power supplies instead of using electricity from the public grid, in part to ensure there was enough to power residential air conditioning.
The heat index topped 100 degrees by 10 a.m. Thursday in every major metro from Washington, DC, to New York City. And as the mercury climbed, so did the energy used for air conditioning.
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“Maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM service territory is non-negotiable,” Wright said in a statement.
Wright’s Tuesday orders were directed at data centers and other large electricity customers served by PJM, the country’s largest electrical grid operator. The PJM region is made up of 13 states. It is home to the world’s largest cluster of data centers in Virginia, and their dramatic energy use has led to serious electricity price spikes in certain mid-Atlantic states over the past couple years.
New York City, which was experiencing power outages on Thursday, is not part of the PJM regional grid. More than 15,000 Con Edison customers in the New York City metro and areas farther north were without power amid the heat wave as of late Thursday afternoon, according to the utility’s outage map.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X to ask residents to set their AC to 78 degrees and unplug appliances to help conserve electricity and reduce the load on the grid.
Wright said the Trump administration is “using every available tool ensuring Americans in the Mid-Atlantic have continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power and cool their homes.”
The Energy Department estimated there are more than 35 gigawatts of unused and available backup generation nationwide, but didn’t say how much of that is located in the mid-Atlantic region.
While the use of backup generators would relieve strain on the electric grid, it will also generate more pollution and air quality issues near the centers, since many large generators run on either gas or diesel and are less efficient than utility-scale power plants.
Compared to other states with a prolific amount of data centers like Texas and California, the PJM region has fewer large batteries to help store energy that can be used during times of peak load and demand, like the current heat wave.
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