The data centre opportunity: navigating growth, affordability and reliability
The impact of the energy transition and data centre boom on prices for utility customers
1 minute read
Kara McNutt
Vice President, Head of Americas Power and Renewables Consulting
Kara McNutt
Vice President, Head of Americas Power and Renewables Consulting
Kara leads Wood Mackenzie’s Americas Power and Renewables Consulting team based in Boston.
View Kara McNutt's full profile
Caitlin Connelly
Senior Analyst, US Solar
Caitlin Connelly
Senior Analyst, US Solar
Caitlin focuses on distributed solar and supports research and data collection.
View Caitlin Connelly's full profileThe rapid growth of data centres is creating new questions for utilities and their customers. Can this demand surge fund the infrastructure upgrades the grid badly needs - while keeping electricity affordable and reliable? At Wood Mackenzie's recent 2026 Solar & Energy Storage Summit, a panel of experts explored the opportunities and trade-offs ahead.
Fill out the form at the top of the page to access the experts’ insights into:
- The impact of data centres on access to clean energy for utility customers
- How data centre demand growth can drive infrastructure upgrades
- How utilities are addressing the issue of cost allocation
- Locating data centres effectively to improve system utilisation and reduce risk
- How regulators are addressing the impact of large loads on the grid
- Rethinking the basic data centre model to minimise congestion and curtailment