Installing batteries at data centres could reduce their peak electricity imports from the grid by between 10% and 15% according to new research.
Researchers from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business analysed energy consumption at 96 UK data centres using information from UK Power Networks.
They found on-site batteries could supply some of the power required during periods of highest demand and ease pressure on already constrained electricity networks.
Adding clean generation at data centres or nearby could reduce their reliance on the grid further.
The research comes as global electricity demand from new data centres is expected to double by 2030 according to the International Energy Agency.
Data centres could consume as much as 17% of US electricity by the end of the decade which is 60% higher than projections made in 2024.
The study argues the biggest obstacle facing technology companies is not necessarily electricity prices but how quickly large volumes of reliable power can be connected.
Researchers said data centre proposals should therefore be assessed on the storage, flexibility and clean generation they could provide rather than treated only as sources of additional demand.
The paper published in Energy and Climate Change calls for grid connection rules to prioritise projects that deliver measurable benefits to the wider energy system.
It also recommends removing regulatory barriers that prevent data centre batteries and on-site generators from supplying grid services.
Computing demand could become more flexible with operators rewarded for reducing electricity use when networks are under pressure or shifting activity to periods of abundant clean power.
Lead author Behnam Zakeri from WU Vienna’s Institute for Data, Energy and Sustainability said: “AI is creating an unprecedented race for electricity. The question is not just where to find clean power but how quickly it can be delivered to meet AI’s growing compute demand.
“Big tech companies are increasingly investing in energy storage as a solution to several of their power problems. What is now emerging is a ‘nexus’ where AI and energy storage reinforce one another.”
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