Electricity projects wait five years on average to connect to the nation’s power grids. Automation that could speed up complex engineering studies is exciting tech executives and energy regulators eager to see power hooked up.
“With the right tools, interconnection studies can go from years to weeks, and that’s how we unlock the next phase of grid modernization,” said Jay Shah, head of product marketing for energy and utilities at Amazon Web Services.
The United States is confronting grid-busting demand numbers. By one estimate, demand could skyrocket by 128 gigawatts over the next five years as newly electrified areas of the economy demand more power. Amazon and other big tech companies are spending tens of billions of dollars on data center build-outs.
There are already roughly 2,600 gigawatts of energy and storage projects awaiting grid connections as of April 2024.
