Gridlocked
LTE by Jake Schwartz, CCAN Federal Campaigns Manager, initially published in the Philadelphia Inquirer
The Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection, the powerful but little-known operator of our region’s electric grid, is currently tasked with managing the increased energy demand from data centers. Just last month, PJM’s own watchdog filed a complaint saying it will not be able to manage all of the proposed data centers without restrictions.
Later this month, PJM’s board will vote to decide how and whether to accept these electricity-hungry data centers into our grid, and what (if any) restrictions will be put in place. One option is that the Big Tech companies behind many of these sites could be asked to dial back their power use for a few dozen hours a year.
This would mean that at the rare moments when our grid is peaking, data centers could slow down, preventing blackouts for everyday ratepayers. It would also save Pennsylvanians on our energy bills if fewer of these expensive “peaker” plants had to be built. Finally, this proposal would be better for our lungs and the planet, as the energy sources that data centers bring online are usually gas plants. PJM should prioritize people over data centers and decide on some restrictions before it welcomes them to our grid.
LTE by Jake Schwartz, CCAN Federal Campaigns Manager, initially published in the Philadelphia Inquirer
About the author: Jake Schwartz (he/him) is the Federal Campaigns Manager at CCAN. Jake grew up in Philly (Go Birds!) and has organized on environmental and electoral campaigns across the country, from Oregon to Indiana. His career in climate organizing began at Green Corps, an environmental advocacy fellowship, where he worked on local, state, and federal campaigns.
Most recently, he was on the Harris-Walz campaign where he helped run the Delegate Operations and then Climate Engagement teams. Outside of work, you can find him running or biking in Rock Creek Park or reading at Meridian Hill Park.
