Live support chatOn-Site Behind-the-Meter Power for Data Centers
In On-Site Behind-the-Meter Power for Data Centers, you'll learn ...
- The economic, infrastructure, and grid-connection factors driving the adoption of behind-the-meter generation for large AI data centers
- The regulatory, permitting, and natural gas supply considerations affecting the development of islanded BTM generation projects
- The technical architecture and operating requirements of reliable on-site power systems for large data center campuses
- How to evaluate behind-the-meter generation as a scalable, long-term or bridge-to-grid power strategy for AI data centers
Overview
Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.
Credit: 2 PDH
Length: 24 pages
This course examines the emergence of on-site, behind-the-meter (BTM) power generation as a primary power strategy for large AI data center campuses. It explains how rapid growth in AI computing demand, congested interconnection queues, lengthy transmission upgrade schedules, potential grid curtailments, rising electricity costs, and equipment supply constraints are driving data center developers toward alternatives to traditional grid service. The course describes how natural gas-fired generation can provide scalable, islanded power on an approximately 18–24-month deployment schedule while supporting long-term power purchase agreements and potential future grid participation.
Participants will examine the regulatory considerations that influence BTM project development, including electric market structure, utility franchise requirements, air permitting, and future wholesale-market participation. The course also addresses natural gas supply requirements, including volume, pressure, firm transportation, pipeline capacity, redundancy, and project scheduling. Finally, it reviews the technical architecture of islanded power systems, including generators, battery energy storage systems (BESS), medium-voltage distribution, Energy Management Control Systems (EMCS), Microgrid controls, load smoothing, power quality, fault-current protection, fuel reliability, and cybersecurity.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify and describe the major grid-connection challenges affecting large AI data centers, including congested interconnection queues, extended interconnection timelines, forced curtailments, electricity price growth, and equipment supply constraints.
- Compare typical grid-interconnection timelines with the approximately 18–24-month deployment timeframe described for on-site generation and explain how these differences affect speed-to-power strategies.
- Explain how state electric market structure, utility franchise requirements, and retail-service regulations can influence an IPP’s ability to provide behind-the-meter power directly to a data center.
- Evaluate key air-permitting considerations for natural gas generation, including emissions requirements, attainment status, available permitting pathways, emissions offsets, and potential PSD requirements.
- Calculate planning-level natural gas requirements for gigawatt-scale generation using the heat-rate, heating-value, and fuel-consumption relationships presented in the course.
- Differentiate firm and interruptible natural gas transportation and evaluate their suitability for continuously operating data center generation.
- Compare reciprocating engines, aeroderivative turbines, and heavy-frame combustion turbines based on efficiency, flexibility, power density, gas-pressure requirements, deployment considerations, and operating characteristics.
- Describe the functions of generators, BESS, medium-voltage distribution, EMCS, Microgrid controls, UPS systems, and related equipment within an islanded BTM power architecture.
- Analyze how BESS, generation equipment, and Microgrid controls work together to accommodate AI step loads while maintaining voltage, frequency, and power quality.
- Evaluate reliability considerations for an islanded BTM facility, including equipment redundancy, fault-current protection, fuel-supply redundancy, operations and maintenance staffing, and operational-technology cybersecurity.
Certificate of Completion
You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 10 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.
| This course is applicable to professional engineers in: | ||
| Alabama (P.E.) | Alaska (P.E.) | Arkansas (P.E.) |
| Delaware (P.E.) | District of Columbia (P.E.) | Florida (P.E. Area of Practice) |
| Georgia (P.E.) | Idaho (P.E.) | Illinois (P.E.) |
| Illinois (S.E.) | Indiana (P.E.) | Iowa (P.E.) |
| Kansas (P.E.) | Kentucky (P.E.) | Louisiana (P.E.) |
| Maine (P.E.) | Maryland (P.E.) | Michigan (P.E.) |
| Minnesota (P.E.) | Mississippi (P.E.) | Missouri (P.E.) |
| Montana (P.E.) | Nebraska (P.E.) | Nevada (P.E.) |
| New Hampshire (P.E.) | New Jersey (P.E.) | New Mexico (P.E.) |
| New York (P.E.) | North Carolina (P.E.) | North Dakota (P.E.) |
| Ohio (P.E. Self-Paced) | Oklahoma (P.E.) | Oregon (P.E.) |
| Pennsylvania (P.E.) | South Carolina (P.E.) | South Dakota (P.E.) |
| Tennessee (P.E.) | Texas (P.E.) | Utah (P.E.) |
| Vermont (P.E.) | Virginia (P.E.) | West Virginia (P.E.) |
| Wisconsin (P.E.) | Wyoming (P.E.) | |
Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.
Credit: 2 PDH
Length: 24 pages
