Compute heat rate attempts to measure price sensitivities for data centers considering when to be flexible in their operations, reports RTO Insider. A 2025 study from Duke University scholars calculated that 98 GW of new load could be added to the grid with an average annual load curtailment rate of 0.5%.

Startup Soma Energy announced in April that it raised $7 million in pre-seed and seed funding for its work leveraging AI to help data centers access existing grid capacity and optimize available energy resources, reports Latitude Media. Despite widespread concerns about congestion, the grid is believed to have about 100 GW of capacity that could be unlocked through improved utilization, according to a 2025 analysis conducted by Duke University scholars.

Duke University kicked off industry discussions on large load flexibility with a February 2025 report, writes columnist K Kaufmann for RTO Insider. Kaufmann reports that a new policy brief takes the next step, calling on state regulators to develop official definitions of flexible large loads "based on a set of enforceable curtailment commitments meeting specific technical requirements."

A major driver of rising energy bills is the cost of building grid infrastructure to serve new data centers, electric car chargers and manufacturing plants, but even as demand grows, there is a lot of unused capacity already on the grid, reports Latitude Media. Last year, Duke University researchers found across the U.S. there may be 100 gigawatts to spare, if only utilities and state energy regulators could both measure and unlock the extra room.

A new industry-led coalition known as Utilize brings together leading companies, utilities and policy organizations to advance smarter, faster and more affordable use of existing grid infrastructure to help meet growing electricity demand. A press release announcing Utilize cited a Duke University analysis that estimates the additional demand that could be served on existing systems outside of peak conditions.

Most of the year, the U.S. electricity grid is only running at about half its overall capacity. Some researchers say that presents an opportunity to meet rising energy demand and bring rates down, reports The Washington Post. According to one study from Duke University researchers, the existing U.S. grid could offer about 100 GW of extra power for data centers that are willing to turn off, or curtail, their power for a couple of hours at a time during high-demand events.

A recently published Duke University report outlines a strategy for utilities to meet the nearly 100 GW of projected power demands of AI and data centers with existing grid capacity. The key is for utilities and data center operators to work together in a collaborative way that utilizes flexible load management, writes Matt Green (TRC Companies) in a post for Factor This.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to standardize large load interconnections, but the advance notice of proposed rulemaking leaves open many critical questions. Former FERC Commissioner Allison Clements and Tyler Norris, lead author of a seminal Duke paper on load flexibility, talked with Latitude Media about some of those considerations.

Diesel generators are meant to be used rarely by data centers, but there is concern they could run more frequently if grid operators disconnect them during times of peak demand, reports Inside Climate News. An alternative future could include diversifying backup power options to include battery storage, renewables, natural gas or cleaner diesel products, noted a February report published by the Nicholas Institute.

A seminal white paper from Duke University researchers suggests "headroom" available for data centers to reduce their energy consumption during system peaks could unlock up to 100 GW of spare capacity to integrate these large loads. Elizabeth K. Whitney, managing principal at Meguire Whitney, writes in Latitude Media about how hyperscalers would need to curtail their energy use from the grid to tap into that headroom.

Last Thursday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider rulemaking to fast-track interconnection for large loads—as long as they agree to be curtailable or colocate with dispatchable generation. Former FERC Commissioner Allison Clements and Duke Ph.D. student Tyler Norris joined the Catalyst podcast to discuss what the proposal actually means for interconnection.

Before data centers come online, they need to have proactive plans to avoid drawing too much energy, said Duke University expert Tim Profeta, who co-authored a February analysis on how load flexibility could help manage rising U.S. energy demand. Regulators and utilities could require data centers to create those plans in exchange for jumping long queues to connect to the grid. “The biggest incentive is speed to interconnect to the grid,” Profeta told The Guardian.

Duke University Ph.D. student Tyler Norris presented to the North Carolina Utilities Commission on the findings of an influential Duke report analyzing how load flexibility could help meet rising electricity demand in the United States. The presentation came during a technical conference hosted by the commission to gather information and recommendations on "how to fairly and efficiently integrate large electric load additions."

Duke Energy plans to burn coal for two to four years longer than previously estimated, citing the state’s growing energy demand—driven by data centers and large manufacturers—among other factors, reports Inside Climate News. A February analysis by Duke University researchers posits that targeted, timed reductions in power demand could ease the strain on the grid without massive power-plant buildouts.

Two law professors are proposing a system called "demand side connect-and-manage" to help electricity markets cope with data center energy demands. The idea is "one of the most important contributions yet toward the re-examination of basic assumptions of U.S. electricity law that’s urgently needed as hyperscale load growth pushes our existing regulatory system beyond its limits," Duke University Ph.D. student Tyler Norris, who co-authored concept-defining work on data center flexibility, told Heatmap News.