Behind the Meter

Because local electrical grids have struggled to produce enough power for data center demand, data centers have searched for “behind-the-meter” solutions for power, including gas generation and nuclear power. This enables data centers to plug directly into independently provided power, sidestepping investments in energy infrastructure. 

If feasible within your jurisdiction, localities should ban these power work-arounds, ensuring that data centers are only approved if and where local electric grids can support the data center demand without threatening grid reliability. 

Data centers able to bring their own renewable power, such as solar, may receive an exemption to limitations on “behind-the-meter” power. However, localities should scrutinize commitments from developers to bring their own renewable power, as these commitments often fail to sufficiently materialize in time (or at all). Critically, if the data center is not entirely self-supported by its power generation and is interconnected with the electrical grid, the data center must appropriately pay for the services it receives.

Some data centers install backup generators, often diesel, to provide power in the event of power outages. Localities should prohibit data centers from running on-site diesel generators. For more details, see the section on Air Pollution and Community Health Measures.