EPRI Current

This week on the EPRI Current, we explore one of the energy sector’s most recently debated questions: Are data centers driving up electricity rates?
 
 
Host Samantha Gilman is joined by Geoff Blanford and Asa Watten of EPRI’s Energy Systems and Climate Analysis team to discuss new research examining the relationship between data center growth and consumer electricity costs. Drawing on a decade of data, they examine why the relationship between rising demand and rising rates may be more complex than many assume, and why, in some cases, load growth can help improve affordability by spreading grid costs across more customers.
 
 
The conversation also looks ahead to the future of AI-driven electricity demand, the challenges of building grid infrastructure fast enough to keep pace, and how flexible demand initiatives like EPRI’s DCFlex could help balance reliability, affordability, and growth. Tune in for a data-driven discussion that challenges conventional wisdom and offers fresh insight into one of the industry's most important debates.
 
 
Read the full working paper:  https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.19777

 

Summary and key insights available here: https://restservice.epri.com/publicattachment/98650

 

Explore related EPRI research: 

Win-Win Watts: https://winwin.epri.com/ 

Energy Wallet: https://energywallet.epri.com/  

DCFlex Initiative: https://dcflex.epri.com/

A potential “super El Niño” is making headlines, and for the power sector, it comes with real implications. In this episode of The EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman speaks with EPRI climate scientist Erik Smith about what’s driving the latest forecasts and how changing ocean conditions could shape weather patterns in the months ahead.

 
From increased precipitation in California to drought risk in the Pacific Northwest and a potentially quieter Atlantic hurricane season, the discussion explores how a strong El Niño can shape regional outcomes. It also highlights how EPRI’s climate analytics and research – including the Climate Resilience and Adaptation (READi) Initiative – are equipping utilities to plan across seasonal to multi-year horizons. As forecasts evolve, the episode emphasizes the importance of staying alert, adaptable, and prepared for how quickly conditions can change.
 
 
To learn more about EPRI’s Climate READi, visit: https://apps.epri.com/climate-readi-compass/en/
 
 

For more episodes visit EPRI.com.
 

If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

 

Follow EPRI:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews 

 

EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com

In this week’s episode of the EPRI Current, Dave Weaver from Exelon, Clift Pompee from Compass Datacenters, and Anuja Ratnayake from EPRI join host Samantha Gilman to discuss how new approaches to flexibility can accelerate grid connections amid surging demand.
 
Experts focus on EPRI’s recently launched Flex MOSAIC™, a framework developed through EPRI’s DCFlex initiative to define what flexibility means in practice by creating a shared, performance-based language between utilities and large load customers. By defining five distinct classes of flexibility with clear parameters such as notification time, duration, and frequency of use, Flex MOSAIC™ helps align expectations upfront and reduce the ambiguity that has historically slowed interconnection.
 
Tune in to hear about how concepts like “headroom” and performance-based flexibility classes can help unlock existing grid capacity, reduce interconnection timelines, and support reliability. With perspectives from across the energy ecosystem, the episode highlights both the opportunity and the coordination required to enable faster, more adaptive grid integration.
 

Learn more about EPRI’s DCFlex Initiative: https://dcflex.epri.com/
Learn more about EPRI’s Flex MOSAIC™: https://dcflex.epri.com/flex-mosaic
Learn more about headroom: https://www.epri.com/research/products/000000003002034162
 

For more information and episodes visit EPRI.com.
 

If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

 

Follow EPRI:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews 

 

EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com

In this episode of the EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman speaks with EPRI’s Director of Agentic AI and Micro Data Centers, Ben Sooter, about the growing role of distributed inference, also known as micro data centers, in the evolving AI landscape. While large, centralized data centers dominate current discussions, Sooter explains why the next wave of compute demand will shift closer to end users to support faster, latency-sensitive applications.
 
 
The conversation highlights how this distributed approach could reshape grid planning, including opportunities to leverage available capacity at distribution substations and the need to better understand emerging load profiles. Sooter also discusses EPRI’s collaborative pilot efforts with NVIDIA, Prologis, and InfraPartners to explore siting, deployment, and scalability. As AI adoption accelerates, this episode examines how utilities can prepare for and help enable the next phase of digital infrastructure.
 
 

 

For more information and episodes visit EPRI.com.
 

 

If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

 

Follow EPRI:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews 

 

EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com

How should organizations interpret AI benchmarks – and where do they fall short when moving from pilots to real‑world deployment?
 
 
In this episode of EPRI Current, host Samantha Gilman is joined by Jaime Sevilla, Director of Epoch AI, and Apurba Sakti, EPRI Principal Technical Leader for AI, for a deep dive into AI benchmarking and responsible adoption. The conversation explores why strong benchmark scores don’t always translate into operational readiness, the limitations of generic leaderboards, and why domain‑ and workflow-specific evaluations are critical – especially in high-consequence sectors like energy. The discussion highlights how organizations can move beyond demonstrations toward continuous, evidence‑based evaluation to ensure AI systems are reliable, transparent, and fit for real‑world use.
 
 

 

For more information and episodes visit EPRI.com.
 

 

If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and share! And please consider leaving a review and rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. 

 

Follow EPRI:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epri/ 

Twitter https://twitter.com/EPRINews 

 

EPRI Current examines key issues and new R&D impacting the energy transition. Each episode features insights from EPRI, the world's preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization, and from other energy industry leaders. We also discuss how innovative technologies are shaping the global energy future. Learn more at www.epri.com