Lightening the Load

Illustrating community-wide clean energy solutions

February 24, 2026 — To manage load growth driven by data centers, communities can utilize a range of clean energy strategies to ease strain on the grid and deliver tangible benefits to all. From energy efficiency and load flexibility at the data center to home energy storage and large-scale renewable projects throughout a community, these solutions can reduce strain on the grid, enhance community resilience, and lower energy bills. For more information, check out our report, Lightening the Load. Explore each of these sets of solutions by clicking on the layers below.

Resilience hubs combine clean generation with energy storage to provide reliable power during blackouts as well as day-to-day benefits such as peak demand mitigation, utility bill savings for system hosts, and community services.

Virtual power plants (VPPs) lower strain on the grid by managing existing energy resources – such as household thermostats, building automation systems, water heaters, and distributed batteries – to reliably and cheaply reduce electricity demand during peak periods.

Solarize-style and efficiency programs accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures by providing residents with incentives, education, a set of vetted installers, and aggregated solar discounts for a limited time.

Demand response (DR) reduces peak loads by incentivizing or requiring large customers to reduce their electricity usage during critical periods.

Flexibilitymeasures such asshifting operations tooff-peak hours orother facilities when the local grid is overtaxedcan reduce peak power demand.

Energy efficiency adjustments at the data center, including more efficient cooling systems, chips, or AI models, can significantly reduce annual electricity demand and peak power needs.

On-site generation and storage likesolar, wind, and geothermal technologies, as well as batteries,can reducedata centers’need for power and energy from the utility.

Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) are a suite of low-costapproachesthat can mitigate the need to build new transmission infrastructure by enabling more efficient use of existing lines.

Large loadtariffsareutilityrate structures thatapply tomajorenergy consumers and helpappropriately distribute costs, mitigate stranded asset risks, and address potential reliability concerns.

Local, large-scale clean generation solar, wind, or geothermal generationcan be brought online relatively quicklytomitigate the need to build new transmission or new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Behind-the-Meter Opportunities

Behind-the-meter measures are on-site strategies that a data center can implement to reduce or shift electricity use without drawing additional power from the grid.

Energy efficiency adjustments at the data center, including more efficient cooling systems, chips, or AI models, can significantly reduce annual electricity demand and peak power needs.
Flexibility measures such as shifting operations to off-peak hours or other facilities when the local grid is overtaxed can reduce peak power demand.
On-site generation and storage like solar, wind, and geothermal technologies, as well as batteries, can significantly reduce data centers’ need for power and energy from the utility.

Community-Based Strategies

Community-based strategies are clean energy systems that are embedded throughout a community that can be installed more rapidly, enhance grid infrastructure, and deliver cost savings and resilience benefits to residents.

Virtual power plants (VPPs) lower strain on the grid by managing existing energy resources – such as household thermostats, building automation systems, water heaters, and distributed batteries – to reliably and cheaply reduce electricity demand during peak periods.
Demand response (DR) reduces peak loads by incentivizing or requiring large customers to reduce their electricity usage during critical periods.
Solarize-style and efficiency programs accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures by providing residents with incentives, education, a set of vetted installers, and aggregated solar discounts for a limited time.
Resilience hubs combine clean generation with energy storage to provide reliable power during blackouts as well as day-to-day benefits such as peak demand mitigation, utility bill savings for system hosts, and community services.

Utility-Scale Efforts

Utility-scale efforts are large-scale clean generation projects and overall system improvements that local utilities can coordinate and manage.

Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) are a suite of low-cost approaches that can mitigate the need to build new transmission infrastructure by enabling more efficient use of existing lines.
Local, large-scale clean generation (solar, wind, or geothermal generation) can be brought online relatively quickly to mitigate the need to build new transmission or new fossil fuel infrastructure.
Large load tariffs are utility rate structures that apply to major energy consumers and help appropriately distribute costs, mitigate stranded asset risks, and address potential reliability concerns.