Source: pv magazine Global
Behind-the-meter generation—rooftop solar and distributed batteries at homes and businesses—delivers five times more grid stabilization than the load-shifting schemes data centers tout, according to analysis comparing two competing solutions to grid strain. Utilities and policymakers are increasingly subsidizing data center flexibility programs (where AI companies pause compute during peak demand) as a grid solution, while permitting friction and rate structures that penalize self-generation starve behind-the-meter deployment. The finding exposes a mismatch between where capital and policy attention flows versus where actual grid relief concentrates, as electrification accelerates and AI infrastructure becomes a permanent load fixture.