Data Centers Need Power. Unlock The Batteries In Our Driveways.

More than 7 million electric vehicles (EVs) are on American roads today. Most sit parked for much of the day. Together, their batteries hold enormous storage potential. Yet almost none of it is available to the grid, because most of today’s EVs cannot send power back.

That is a missed opportunity when the grid badly needs help. Bank of America analysts estimate that the United States will need more than 230 gigawatts of new generating capacity over the next five years, while regulated utilities are expected to add only about 93 gigawatts. Data centers are a major driver of that growth.

Despite growing efforts to regulate and manage their expansion, data centers are not going away. The challenge is meeting their power needs without forcing communities to absorb the pollution and the costs.

How can EVs help power facilities that operate around the clock? Part of the answer is parked in our driveways. The grid faces its greatest strain during peak hours, especially during extreme weather. Vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G, allows compatible EVs to return electricity back to the grid. Millions of these vehicles, coordinated by software, could act as a virtual power plant. They could reduce strain on the grid, avoid some fossil-fuel generation and new construction, improve air quality -- and even pay drivers who participate.

Tens of millions of EVs will be sold over the next decade. Decisions made now will determine whether those vehicles only consume electricity or also help support the grid.

The Hidden Costs of the Data Center Boom

Seven in 10 Americans oppose building data centers in their communities, more than oppose nuclear power plants. Their well-founded concerns include rising electricity bills, heavy energy and water use, noise, air pollution and land use.

I spent 32 years at EPA working to cut pollution, and I know how hard-won these protections were. Watching them unravel as demand surges should concern everyone.