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The world is electrifying at an unprecedented rate. Demand for electricity is surging due to the explosive growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing and steady adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and industrial electrification. Yet, many large energy loads are struggling to connect. Across much of the U.S., large load interconnections are experiencing backlogs of 3 to 5 years, leaving data centers, EV fleets, and industrial facilities unable to access the power they need.
And even as the need for power increases, much of the clean energy that could meet this demand remains stuck in interconnection backlogs. The nearly 2,600 gigawatts of wind, solar, and battery storage projects waiting for approval in the United States could provide the clean electricity needed to support these growing loads, but they remain stuck behind interconnection studies and infrastructure upgrades. Without a faster way to connect both new energy consumers and new energy producers, we risk a massive bottleneck that will slow economic growth and stall the clean energy transition.
Take data centers as an example. A single 200-megawatt (MW) data center consumes approximately 1.5 million megawatt-hours per year. If powered by today’s grid mix, it would emit ~600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. If that same facility were powered by zero-carbon generation around the clock, its emissions would drop to zero. However, because of interconnection delays, many data centers are turning to on-site natural gas or diesel generation. In some cases, these backup power sources run all the time, leading to an increase in emissions of 50% to 100%. For a 200 MW data center, that’s another 300,000 to 600,000 metric tons of CO2 emitted each year. To put that in perspective, that’s equivalent to the annual emissions of 130,000 gas-powered cars. With tens of gigawatts of data center demand expected by 2030, our ability to connect these massive loads to clean power as quickly as possible is one of the most pressing climate challenges of our time.
At Camus, we believe that the highest-impact way we can accelerate decarbonization is by speeding up the connection of new loads and zero-carbon generation to the grid. Our approach to solving this challenge is to maximize the use of existing grid capacity as we continue to build new infrastructure.
Flexible interconnection is a model which takes advantage of the extra capacity already built into our grids. In many cases, existing grid capacity (energy or poles & wires) could support the new assets all but a few hours a week, or even a year. Instead of treating grid connections as static, flexible interconnection optimizes how existing grid resources interact with the grid in real-time.
Large electricity consumers like data centers, EV fleets, and industrial sites can reduce their net consumption during times of grid congestion by shifting demand or using behind-the-meter generation and energy storage. Similarly, solar and storage projects can adjust their output dynamically to avoid creating operational problems for the grid while maximizing their uptime. Utilities, in turn, can make full use of available grid capacity instead of relying on static, worst-case assumptions that result in unnecessarily restrictive limits on new loads and generation.
A typical large load, solar, or battery project today might have to wait years, and pay huge upgrade fees, to get connected. Many of these facilities could be installed today if they provided guaranteed flexibility just a few hours a year. By optimizing the grid’s existing capacity, we can ensure that new sources of clean energy and electrification are rapidly deployed where they’re needed most. This approach reduces reliance on fossil fuel-powered backup generation, accelerating the transition to a decarbonized power system.
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence and cloud computing is pushing electricity demand to unprecedented levels. The data centers that power our digital world require massive amounts of energy, and this demand is expected to require 50 gigawatts of new generation capacity by 2030. Utilities and grid planners must rethink how they allocate capacity and site new loads to keep up with this transformation.
Despite policy uncertainties, wind and solar remain the lowest-cost energy sources, ensuring continued investment in renewables. At the same time, EV adoption—especially for commercial and fleet vehicles—is accelerating, regardless of federal incentives. Successfully connecting these new sources of demand and generation to the grid is absolutely essential to enabling a clean energy future.
Many utilities are grappling with large interconnection queues, some even larger than their entire current system demand. Rising electricity rates and increasing regulatory scrutiny mean that utilities must find ways to increase efficiency and optimize grid capacity. Flexible interconnection offers a fast, cost-effective way to integrate new energy resources and help utilities increase the amount of load and generation supported by existing infrastructure.
At Camus, we specialize in grid data, forecasting, and orchestration, which positions us uniquely to understand available grid capacity and help access it efficiently and reliably. Our deep background in data center operations allows us to play a unique role in bridging the gap between utility engineers and the rapidly evolving needs of hyperscale and AI data centers.
By accelerating even a fraction of today’s stalled clean energy and electrification projects, we could prevent gigatons of emissions over the next decade. The faster we connect new clean energy projects and electrified loads, the more quickly we reduce dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate decarbonization.
Traditional interconnection approaches were not designed for the scale and speed of today’s electrification and clean energy demands. Across the U.S., projects face multi-year delays while fossil fuel plants continue running, adding gigatons of CO₂ to the atmosphere. Every year we wait, we lock in more emissions and slow the transition to a clean energy future.
If we want to meet our climate goals, we must fundamentally rethink how we connect new loads and generation to the grid. Faster, more efficient interconnection isn’t just an operational necessity—it’s a climate imperative.
At Camus, we are working closely with utilities, developers, and large energy users to make flexible interconnection a reality—because the stakes are simply too high to wait.
