grid

The AI is putting the US power grid in trouble. And Google has already taken a measure that shows the magnitude of the problem

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Google data centers work 24/7, processing searches, videos and now also AI models. But not everything can grow at the same pace. In several areas of the United States, electricity begin to notice the pressure: Energy demand is accelerated and In some places already exceed capacity forecasts. Given that scenario, Google moves: It will reduce the consumption of your data centers when there are peaks, prioritizing the essential and postponing what you can expect. The novelty is the focus: Machine Learning charges. Artificial intelligence progresses. The electricity grid notice. The expansion of AI is going so fast that companies receive more connection requests than they can meet in certain areas. The consequence is no longer only technique: there is an energy restriction that conditions the deployment. It’s not about turning off machines, but moving loads. The “demand response“It consists of adapting consumption to what the network can supply at all times. In practice: displace or reduce non -urgent loads – like the processing of programmable videos or tasks – outside critical hours. It is a tool used in intensive industries and cryptocurrency mining, now applied to data centers with AI. The system has clear limits. This type of flexibility is not applicable in all centers or in all situations. Google recognizes it clearly: there are services that you just can’t expect. Platforms such as Search, Maps or the cloud for critical sectors – such as health or emergencies – require continuous availability, without margin for load settings. There are no “non -urgent” tasks that can be postponed. Therefore, although the response to demand is a valuable tool, its implementation will remain partial and selective. It requires planning, previous agreements and an infrastructure designed to absorb that type of reorganization. Not all centers can do it. But where it is possible, it becomes a real way to relieve pressure on the network without compromising the essential. There is already experience, and now. It is not theory. Google tested this flexibility With the public electric of Omaha and reduced demand associated with Machine Learning in three network events last year. The next step are formal agreements with Indiana Michigan Power (Fort Wayne) and with Tennessee Valley Authority: in Indiana it will be integrated from the beginning of the new center, and in Tennessee it will be applied coordinated with the operator. From experiment to strategy. What began as a pilot becomes operational policy: Managing demand flexible helps stabilize the network and accelerates the connection of large loads without waiting for new lines or centrals. It is not a magical solution, but it wins time while the infrastructure is reinforced. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Flash | Andrey Metelev In Xataka | Google has signed the largest hydroelectric agreement in history. You no longer know where to get more energy to feed your AI

California will test a “co -pilot of AI” at one of the most sensitive points of its electricity grid. Can go very well … or very bad

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There is a less visible part of the electricity grid: the one that goes out on purpose. From time to time, whole teams must disconnect by maintenance. They are routine tasks, but their coordination and validation are decisive so that the system continues to work. In California, that work falls to the California Independent System Operator (Caiso) human team. Now, an artificial intelligence will begin to collaborate with them. Caiso has launched A pilot project with the firm Oati. The objective is to verify how a language model, similar to the one that drives Chatgptcan attend in a critical mission: manage requests – especially the scheduled – that come daily to perform maintenance in the network. Artificial intelligence to attend a task that cannot fail Many of these requests imply, although not always, temporarily disconnect key assets. If the information is incomplete or incorrect, the consequences can be felt in real time: from Network instability even alterations in the electricity market. Therefore, although part of the flow is already automated, the final review remains manual and exhaustive. Between 2020 and 2025, internal graphs show a high volume of applications, with clear spring and autumn peaks, the usual maintenance windows. That seasonality, added to the total number of requests, converts maintenance management into one of the most complex operating challenges in the system. The tool is called Oati Genie and is raised as a co -pilot of AI. Detect anomalies, extract operational information and suggest steps based on previous cases. To achieve this, it combines retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) with a system of multiple agents: operators formulate questions in natural language and receive contextualized answers, with links to documents and records that support them. The operator can, for example, ask what work could affect a certain electric route and obtain a history, procedures and public data such as those of OASIS (Open Access Same-Time Information System), the regulated base that centralizes technical and market information in real time. That consultation, which previously demanded manual searches, now comes with much more agility. The co -pilot does not decide for itself, its role serves to reinforce and expedite the human decision. If everything is going as planned, the tool will enter internal tests before the end of the year. Those who use it may report failures, limitations or improvements and help profile their evolution. It is not an isolated experiment, but part of a broader strategy to Apply to other areas of the system. The plan is underway, but there is still knowing if Oati Genie will fulfill what he promises. It may become a daily ally for operators; Maybe it’s just a step on the road to a smarter network. The only sure thing is that the electricity sector already explores that address. Images | Caiso | Javad Esmaeili In Xataka | Harvest wheat or kilowatts? The new account that many farmers make in Spain

He has just paid 1.5 million to expand the electricity grid until its fifth datacenter

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If you pass through the A-23 at the height of Huesca and see operators opening a new underground channel for the electricity grid, you are seeing the new fat cable of Amazon. The company founded by Jeff Bezos continues to expand through Aragon With your data centers. Check me a cable here, literally. The last movement of the technological giant is an investment of almost 1.5 million euros to connect the electricity network to its future data center in the Walqa technology park, on the outskirts of Huesca. According to him Official Gazette of AragonAmazon Web Services (AWS) has projected the construction of an underground line of 1.4 kilometers that will pass under the A-23 highway and the N-330 road to take 15 kV of tension to its future center. This double circuit will connect the PHUS electric substation with the Amazon plot in Walqa. A project of 714 million. The new AWS Data Center in Walqa will occupy about 70 hectares. Construction work began at the end of April on old poultry farms. Amazon has planned a total investment of 714.6 million euros in this complex., One of the five new data centers that will be built in Aragon, adding to the existing three This center of Huesca is one of the five new data centers That AWS is going to build in the community, adding to the three already existing. The other four will be located in the Burgo de Ebro (two) and Villanueva de Gállego (two). All of them will be interconnected by a dense fiber optic network, functioning as a single and powerful “AWS region.” The Amazon Empire in Aragon. The abundance of cheap renewable energy, the available soil and regulatory facilities have consolidated Aragon as a digital hub of southern Europe. And Amazon is one of the companies that is most expanding in the area. The three locations that form the triangle of the EU-SOUTH-2 region of Amazon Web Services a data center in the Walqa Technology Park (Huesca), two data centers in the Burgo de Ebro (Zaragoza) and two other data centers in Villanueva de Gálgo (also Zaragoza). The three are expanding with five new buildings, in addition to electricity and fiber optic lines. In total, Amazon plans to occupy 354 hectares in Aragon. Not only Amazon expands in Spain. With one planned investment of 15.7 billion euros For the next decade, AWS is the data company that grows the most in Spain, but not the only one. Microsoft has announced investments of 6,690 million euros in Zaragoza and of 1,950 million in Madridwhere Oracle and IBM are also expanding. One of the most recent landings is Malo, which at the end of 2024 announced an investment of more than 750 million euros in a 190 hectares campus in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo). Also looking for soil and renewable availability. Image | AWS In Xataka | Amazon, Google and now also goal: the data centers industry is still shot in Spain

Your electric grid has several weak points

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The Spanish Government and Electricity of Spain, the operator responsible for ensuring that the Spanish electrical system is efficient and safe, have not yet announced What has caused the total electric blackout that We have suffered in Spain and Portugal For many hours. We may never get to know with absolute certainty What has triggered this collapsebut what we know is how Spanish electrical infrastructure works and what are its weak points. To identify its vulnerabilities it is crucial that we know with some precision what the structure of the network is, the role of the strategic interconnection points (they are known as nodes of the network) and how electricity is transported from the facilities in which it is generated to the places where it is consumed. An interesting note before getting into flour: in 2024 23.2% of Electricity of the Spanish Energy Mix It had a wind origin; 20%, nuclear; 17%, photovoltaic solar; 13.6%, combined cycle; 13.3%, hydraulic; and the rest proceeded from the burning of coal or other renewable sources. The electricity grid has a complex structure with several critical points To understand how electrical energy is generated and how the infrastructure that is responsible for transporting it to our homes and companies works, we need to investigate the structure of the network. The first link in the chain, as we can intuit, are the centers for the generation of electricity. As we have just seen, the Spanish energy mix is ​​mainly held on wind farms, nuclear centralsphotovoltaic solar facilities, combined cycle plants and hydraulic plants. Once it has been generated in the production centers, electricity is distributed throughout the Spanish territory through A high voltage network which has 44,000 km of 220 kV and 400 kV lines. However, close to both the facilities in which electricity is generated and the places where it is consumed Electrical substations are found. These nodes of the network are responsible for transforming the voltage with the purpose that electricity can be transported with the minimal possible energy loss. This is the reason why the substations that are close to generation plants raise high voltage energy (from 200 to 400 kV). Electricity is distributed throughout the Spanish territory through a high voltage network that has 44,000 km of 220 kV and 400 kV lines Once electricity is close to the points where intermediate substations will be consumed are responsible for reducing the voltage to 132 kV. Red Eléctrica de España is responsible for the administration of high voltage infrastructure, while medium and low voltage networks (15 to 30 kV) are managed by Endesa, Naturgy, Iberdrola and other energy companies. We already have a quite accurate idea about how the electricity grid is carrying electricity to our homes, but we have overlooked very important nodes: the electrical control centers. These facilities are part of the infrastructure administered by Red Eléctrica de España. They are responsible for supervising in real time the operation of the entire network to identify anomalies and prevent possible malfunction. These nodes are precisely those that are in all likelihood have a leading role in the resolution of the total blackout that we have suffered just a few hours ago. However, we still need to investigate more links more than one infrastructure that, as we are checking, is complex. On the one hand, the Spanish electricity grid is connected to the electrical infrastructure of three countries: France, through four connections with a capacity of 2,800 MW; Portugal, with several links that add up to 3,300 MW; And finally, Morocco, through a single underwater cable of 700 MW. The cooperation of France and Morocco has been crucial when restarting the Spanish electrical infrastructure. To conclude, we cannot ignore the last link in the chain: the urban transformers that we can all see in our locations and neighborhoods. They are responsible for reducing the voltage to a level that can be used by the appliances and the devices we have at home (230 volts). These are the weak points of the Spanish Electric Red We already know with some precision what the structure of the electricity network is and what role each of its nodes has, so we can understand effortlessly what makes it vulnerable. One of its most obvious weak points is The regional imbalance which occurs between excess generation in southern Spain and the high demand of the center and the northern peninsular. The facilities of Andalusia and Extremadura produce a lot of electricity, but the greatest demand does not come from these autonomous communities; It resides in Madrid, Catalonia and other communities of the North Spanish. This imbalance submits the network to an effort that requires the implementation of reinforcements that are not always available. The average and low voltage network is touching saturation in many areas In addition, the average and low voltage network is touching saturation in many areas. This simply means that the demand for electricity at some points is greater than the service capacity that is available in those areas. This causes that there are currently several thousand generation megawatts that have been requested and They cannot be delivered Because the network has reached its maximum electricity transport capacity. If we also take into account that some parts of the transport network are old and have supported for many years a great effort it is reasonable to conclude that it is necessary to reinforce them and carry out effective maintenance. Whatever this is not all. Renewable sources have more and more weight In the energy mix, while fossil origin does not stop losing relevance. There is no doubt that it is good news on the way to An energy model free of pollutant emissions in which we have embarked, but poses a challenge: the control centers that we have spoken some lines above must be able to sustain the stability of frequency and tension. It is possible, in fact, that this is the origin of the collapse that we have lived a few hours … Read more

How excess clean energy has tested the electricity grid in Spain

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This Holy Week has achieved a historical milestone in the energy sector in Spain: for the first time 100% could be covered of the electrical demand with renewables. However, behind this success there is a shadow that does not benefit the electricity grid: the Curtailment. Short. The phenomenon Curtailmentor “renewable cut”, occurs when there is an excess of electric production. Then, the system operator – in this case, the Spanish electricity grid – is forced to temporarily reduce or stop wind turbines or solar panels to maintain the stability of the network, According to EDP Energy. The root of the problem. Although there are optimal wind or sun, the REE must stop the renewable generation for two reasons. On the one hand, there may be excess production over hours that do not coincide with consumption peaks. On the other, As was already being discussedan energy inequality persists in the country: the “emptied Spain” produces and is far from the large consumption centers. As has detailed At eldiario.es, electrical networks were not designed to transport current volumes, creating bottlenecks that force production to stop. The waste. He Curtailment It is causing consequences that alert experts. According to Aurora Energy Researchlast year in Spain, 1.7 Renewable Energy TWH was wasted, sufficient to supply 600,000 homes for a full year. The worrying, as the study has indicated, this figure represents 13% more than in 2023, confirming an upward trend that, if not corrected, can be intensified in the coming years. An opening of solutions. Despite the cut there are different devices to be able to keep the network stable. First, continue building more large -scale storage systems through batteries either reversible hydroelectric plantsallowing to save the surplus to release it when necessary. Another system comes with an innovation of fingering by implementing Intelligent networks that combine IoT sensors with AI algorithms, capable of predicting excess production. These systems, complemented with digital twins that virtually replicate the behavior of the network, allow to optimize energy flows and reduce up to 30% spills, According to data collected by strategic energy. Crossing borders. Looking towards the neighbors, interconnections could be improved with France and Portugal to channel surpluses. As has pointed out In the school environment, these connections will allow the export of energy to be planned in advance, although currently its capacity remains limited. Forecasts Curtailment represents one of the greatest practical challenges of the Spanish energy transition. While Spain continues to beat records in renewable installation, the ability to take advantage of every kilowatt will make the difference between a truly sustainable energy model and another that, paradoxically, continues to waste part of its green potential. Image | Joan Grifols and Pexels Xataka | The production of renewables in Europe is so strong that it is forcing nuclear power plants to work

The cheaper, the more the electric grid collapses worldwide

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In 1812, a German named Frederick Winsor founded the Light and Coke Company in London. His proposal was to supply gas to multiple homes centrally, instead that each one had to buy and burn their own coal or their own firewood. Thus, public services were born, which today face its greatest transformation in two centuries By effect of renewables. The electricity grid According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), today there are 80 million kilometers of electrical networks in the world. By 2040, 50 million additional kilometers will be needed, in addition to the urgent need to modernize another 30 million kilometers of the current network. The challenge is not only quantity: it is not enough to multiply the electric laying. Wind energy, and especially solar energy, have introduced the need to digitize all infrastructure, Insert control systems and improve your flexibility to handle the intermittent nature of renewables. The paradox of solar energy. The more accessible the photovoltaic panels become, the more users choose to partially abandon the electricity network. This increases the cost for those who stay, and puts in check the stability of the system, pending a deep modernization. In rich and sunny regions Like California either Australiaself -consumption has been about to collapse the network in days of abundant solar generation. But you don’t have to go to the most developed places in the world to find these types of problems. A report in The Economist Review three unsuspected cases: Pakistan, the third largest importer of Chinese solar panels (according to data from 2023), is seeing how companies, farmers and large consumers install photovoltaic systems to self -abuse and stop paying very expensive electrical invoices. Still dependent on old coal plants, the price of electricity in Pakistan is very high, so users with resources have preferred to invest in solar energy South Africa lives another variant of this paradox. Before the mass cuts of the state company Eskom (which are called ‘Load Shedding’), many users install solar panels and batteries to protect themselves from interruptions. The South African municipalities that buy the energy at Eskom and then resell them have to pay increasing invoices to the company and, in turn, charge less to those who migrate to self -consumption. This has generated indebtedness with ESKOM of around 1.2% of the country’s GDP. Solar adoption relieves the dependence of the network, but in turn it is a threat to the income that maintains the infrastructure In Lebanon, the state company only provides electricity a couple of hours a day since 2019. As a direct consequence of this, the photovoltaic facilities on the roofs have multiplied, from 100 to 1,300 megawatts in just three years. This situation, despite partially solving the shortage, is resulting in a fish that bites the tail due to the lack of stability and investments in the network An open gap. As private solar facilities proliferate, fixed network costs (lines, substations …) fall on a smaller user base connected. Those who run out of resources to put panels, generally the poorest, have to pay even higher rates To cover all system expenses, which normally seeks profitability. The numbers in Europe. Europe is at the head of the world in emission and electrification objectives, but this has important economic implications. According to a Bruegel reportthey will need between 65,000 and 100,000 million euros per year to modernize and expand the European electrical infrastructure, especially in distribution networks. At the same time, the European Union promotes solar self -consumption and does not always establish sustainable tarification mechanisms for the network. If many homes are drastically or reduced their consumption of the electricity grid, the user base on which the cost of investment in infrastructure is reduced, the fixed term of the invoice is increased and duttering more consumers, who invest in more solar panels. Cross -border connections. Solar energy itself does not cause instant blackouts, but unbalanced the financial and operational structure of the electricity grid, which has fixed maintenance costs. And he does it for several reasons: the decreasing base of users, the mismatches of supply and demand due to the intermission of renewables and the use of the network as a minimum cost support. In addition to batteries and Pumping plants to stabilize the networkinternational projects such as the hypothetical are needed Transatlantic cable between America and Europe To share renewable surpluses between continents and soften demand peaks, but their development is complex, controversial and quite expensive. Image | US Department of Energy In Xataka | The next drought will be electricity: the electricity grid “is running out of transformers” for the demand for AI

an electrical grid that works 24/7 with solar energy

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We tend to assume that solar energy is intermittent, but there is nothing that petrodollars can’t solve. And Abu Dhabi is precisely the first city in the world to announce a large-scale solar plant designed to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The news. The pulse of the United Arab Emirates does not tremble investing what is harvested with its fossil fuels in renewable projects that will one day replace them. Its capital, Abu Dhabi, has just signed for 6 billion dollars the installation of a photovoltaic plant on a public service scale with a particularity. According to Masdar, the developer, it will be the first solar plant designed to supply clean energy 24/7 thanks to the combination of the Emirati sun, millions of solar panels and a huge storage system. The details. The huge project, participated by the state company EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), will combine a 5.2 GW photovoltaic plant with a 19 GWh battery storage system. Once connected, the plant will not only power millions of homes, but will be responsible for up to 1 GW of the grid’s base load, the minimum power required by the electrical grid that is traditionally covered by more stable thermal sources, such as coal. and gas. Alliance with China. As is happening in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the Emirates is strengthening ties with Chinese companies for this renewable drive. JA Solar and Jinko Solar They will supply 2.6 GW of solar panels each based on TopCon technology, which has higher efficiency and lower degradation rate. For its part, CATL will supply the batteries directly integrated into its HAVE storage systemwhich promises zero degradation in five years and a capacity of 6.25 MWh per container. POWERCHINA and the Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro will be in charge of the design and construction of the plant, which will generate 10,000 jobs. Green Emirates. The Abu Dhabi project, whose roadmap marks the start of operations in 2027, is framed in a long-term plan of the United Arab Emirates: the Energy Strategy 2050. The country hosted the COP28 summit, in which United Nations countries emphasized the urgency of installing more sustainable energy solutions. Sultan al Jaber, who chaired the summit, is also Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates and president of Masdar, promoter of the solar plant. “For the first time, we will transform renewable energy into 1GW of reliable baseload power, at unprecedented scale,” highlighted al Jaber in a statement. In Xataka | More billionaires, less oil: Abu Dhabi’s plan to become the new Singapore

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