
SMP 268: Fuel Cells Powering AI Data Centers and Intersolar Insights
From Solar Maverick Podcast by Benoy Thanjan
March 13, 2026 · 7 min · Season 1 · Episode 268
About this episode
Benoy Thanjan and David Magid discuss the role of fuel cells in AI data centers and insights from Intersolar North America.
In episode 44 of The League, in this episode, Benoy Thanjan (Solar Maverick) and David Magid discuss the growing role of fuel cells powering AI data centers, including how companies like Bloom Energy are enabling on-site, reliable electricity using existing gas infrastructure. They also cover the U.S. Department of Energy’s $26 billion loan program supporting major energy infrastructure projects, including nuclear and natural gas facilities. Benoy shares key insights from Intersolar North America in San Diego, highlighting major industry themes such as energy storage growth, distributed energy resources, AI-enabled energy software, automation in solar construction, and ongoing uncertainty around Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) guidance.
People in this episode
Host: Benoy Thanjan
Guest: David Magid
Topics covered
- fuel cells
- AI data centers
- energy infrastructure
- energy storage
- distributed energy resources
- AI-enabled energy software
- solar construction
- Foreign Entity of Concern
Keywords
- Bloom Energy
- U.S. Department of Energy
- loan program
- nuclear facilities
- natural gas facilities
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Solar Maverick, fuel cells, AI data centers, energy storage systems
Books & works: The League
Places: San Diego
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