Christopher Cox has an important and sobering story in the New York Times Magazine about the U.S. electrical grid, and particularly the role transformers play and the risk they present. As Cox explored key issues facing the U.S. grid, he inevitably turns to the role that data centers play, both in using heaps of electricity and also how data centers might shape the grid’s future.

He made this point:

If you squint, you can envision data centers as a vehicle for bringing about all sorts of useful changes to the grid. “This is the story of stories right now,” said David Roberts, who hosts a podcast about clean energy called “Volts.” Everyone is hungry for capacity, he says, “and that need is pulling them in an irresistible fashion toward the solutions that the dirty hippies have been pushing for years.” That includes, most notably, installing batteries just about everywhere.

The point I’d add: You don’t have to squint to see how data centers can drive useful changes to the grid. Join us at Data Center World Power (Sept. 21-23 in Dallas), and you can just listen. Because the speakers are doing exactly what Cox describes — expanding data center capacity, and as they do so pouring their smarts and creativity into solving the vexing problems facing the grid, data centers, and utilities.

Here are a few examples of conference sessions that cover issues that Cox raises:

• We have three sessions directly addressing batteries — one on optimizing battery strategy to fit their increasingly critical role, another on emerging battery chemistries as lithium-ion alternatives, and a third on the future of the wind-solar-battery trifecta.
• We have a session on the grid oscillation challenge that AI workloads create, and the architectures that data centers, equipment makers, chip manufacturers, and utilities are using to respond.
• We also cover how solid-state transformers (SSTs) offer a possible way out of the transformer shortage, with examples of utility and hyperscale deployments that are in production.

There’s lots more we hit beyond these, covering data center energy topics including new utility-data center partnerships; the role of nuclear, geothermal, and virtual power plants in meeting demand; and strategy and design considerations for data centers to build their own on-site power generation.

If you’re working in the data center energy ecosystem, come join the discussion with leaders solving some of our toughest challenges.