Why data centers should run on solar—not gas
About this episode
The episode discusses the advantages of solar energy over gas for data centers and the need for utilities to adapt to changing economic realities.
Renewables are now the cheapest source of electricity in history—cheaper than gas, cheaper than coal, and with prices still dropping fast. So why are utilities still planning like the economics haven't changed? In this episode, host Kinsey Grant Baker speaks with Ramez Naam, climate tech investor and one of the most rigorous trackers of clean energy cost curves, about how solar and batteries won on price, what it will take to rewire utility incentives to reflect that reality, and why hyperscale data centers should be looking at renewables (not behind-the-meter gas) to solve their speed-to-power problem.
More episodes of Energy Central
- Why Keeping The Lights On Is Getting Harder
- Why This Utility Shut Off Power Before Disaster Hit
- The New Market That Could Make Power Cheaper
- From wildfires to the Olympics: Inside one utility's resilience overhaul
- Can DERs save the power grid?
- How to build a smarter grid on a tighter budget
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Energy Central podcast page.