Researchers at Georgetown and Duke universities released a report last week advocating for batteries as a cleaner, cheaper, and faster-to-deploy alternative to gas generation for powering data centers. This shift matters as states face growing climate impact and financial risk from overbuilding gas plants.

The report highlights that while gas plants currently dominate due to their round-the-clock availability, batteries offer modularity and flexibility, potentially reducing costly grid expansions. Nationwide, utilities are planning over 60 gigawatts of new gas plants, with an additional 90 gigawatts of behind-the-meter gas generators proposed for data centers. BloombergNEF forecasts U.S. energy storage deployment to exceed 11,000 gigawatt-hours by 2036, a 30 percent increase from its previous forecast six months ago. States like Nevada, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey have begun exploring policies to promote energy storage over fossil fuels.

Next steps include implementing “bring your own new clean energy” tariffs and energy storage mandates, alongside ongoing state energy planning with regional grid operators.

Montana might benefit from adopting flexible battery storage solutions to manage grid demands and mitigate risks associated with fossil fuel investments, aligning with broader trends in energy policy and climate strategy.

Why batteries, not gas plants, should be data centers’ first choice
By @CanaryMediaInc, Canary Media