Why Google is Turning to Virtual Power Plants

Why Google is Turning to Virtual Power Plants

Can electric vehicles, solar panels and smart thermostats in homes help free up more grid power for data centers? This concept that has been turning in recent months as the data center power crunch has become more challenging. The concept known as a virtual power plant or VPP. It's a collection of small energy sources that are brought together to create a large energy asset, which can be managed to help support the power grid in moments of high usage. The owners of homes and vehicles get paid for the energy they share back to the grid. Our guest today is Elisa Wood, an expert in distributed energy who can help us understand virtual power plants, and how they work. Elisa has been covering the energy sector for many years. She's the founder of Energy Changemakers, where she reports on the future of distributed energy. I asked Elisa to join us because in recent months we've seen a growing push to tap unutilized energy that exists on power grids. It turned out to be a timely conversation. Literally while we were taping our podcast, Google announced a groundbreaking deal with VPP provider Voltus Energy, which marks the first time that a data center operator has worked with a VPP provider. Their agreement is structured as a "Bring Your Own Capacity" deal, which will unlock 100 megawatts of new capacity on the PJM Interconnection, which serves 67 million customers in the Eastern half of the country. The location is notable because the PJM grid is facing capacity constraints, as well as a huge influx of data center projects. Given the importance of the deal between Google and Voltus, Elisa rejoined me to share her take on the landmark deal and its significance. In today's episode you'll hear parts of both our conversations, which we've edited together to provide a solid understanding of virtual power plants and why they matter. ---------------------------- At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 [http://feeds.libsyn.com/570070/rss] LINKS FROM THIS SHOW : Energy Changemakers (Elisa's Community) https://energychangemakers.com/ [https://energychangemakers.com/] Elisa Wood on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisawood/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisawood/] Google and Voltus Announce Bring Your Own Capacity Agreement https://www.voltus.co/press/voltus-google-bring-your-own-capacity-pjm [https://www.voltus.co/press/voltus-google-bring-your-own-capacity-pjm] Voltus Energy https://www.voltus.co/ [https://www.voltus.co/] RELATED VIDEO: Voltus: Data Centers Can Bring Their Own Energy https://youtu.be/pG2vRhn2eTQ?si=8qS5p053oH121i8X [https://youtu.be/pG2vRhn2eTQ?si=8qS5p053oH121i8X] Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=8xgKEabduuqwdNzw [https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=8xgKEabduuqwdNzw] Fixing the AI Power Gap https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=heU4h2wWujvbyK2X [https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=heU4h2wWujvbyK2X] Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound.

How Google Built the Future of Data Centers

What's it like to work on the front lines of data center innovation? Google has been a pioneer in the digital economy, and developed many of the innovations that define hyperscale data centers. Today on Data Center Richness, we discuss what it's like to be building at the leading edge of a massive technology transformation. Our guest is Joe Kava, who led the Google data center team through an amazing phase of growth, both for the company and the data center industry. Joe retired from Google in 2025, and at the Data Center World 2026 conference, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Today, he's here to share his thoughts on his journey at Google, and what's next for the data center sector. Here's an overview of my talk with Joe Kava: 00:00 - The Innovation That Defined Hyperscale Computing 01:30 - Joe Kava's Data Center Journey, and How it Led to Google 10:22 - The RagingWire Factor 11:20 - Google Scale - Where No Data Center Had Gone Before 21:00 - The New Economy Rises in the Footprint of the Old 22:20 - Rethinking Everything: Optimizing from Chip to Cloud 30:20 - How PUE Drove Massive Efficiency Gains 31:30 - Google's Leadership on Sustainability 32:50 - DCW and the Lifetime Achievement Award 41:00 - What's Next for the Data Center Industry? 48:30 - The Challenge Ahead - Navigating Amid Community Resistance ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW How A 'Leap of Faith' Sparked Joe Kava's Data Center Career https://datacenterworld.com/article/how-a-leap-of-faith-sparked-joseph-kavas-storied-google-data-center-career/ Google Data Centers https://datacenters.google/ Joe Kava on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkleyman/ Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: The State of the Data Center 2026 https://youtu.be/NxqFYbuJduY?si=YH2MgxhM7cpREsyV Verrus is Rethinking The Data Center https://youtu.be/x9OoLh8UEoc?si=YMkPOqgisOGdWrYw All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

The Future of Liquid Cooling

Few people know liquid cooling as well as Rich Whitmore. He is the CEO of Motivair by Schneider Electric, which has cooled the world's most powerful supercomputers. After years of working with the HPC and data center communities, Motivair was acquired last year by global equipment giant Schneider Electric to prepare for surging adoption of liquid cooling for AI workloads. The rise of AI and extreme rack density was a key focus at the recent Schneider Electirc Innovation Summit in Buffalo, N.Y., where I sat down with Rich for a discussion of where liquid cooling has been and where it's going from here. Here's a guide to our discussion with Rich Whitmore: 00:00 - The Trajectory of Liquid Cooling 02:00 - Motivair's History and Rich Whitmore's Data Center Journey 03:45 - The Rise of High-Density Cooling 06:20 - The Motivair "Cooling Door" 08:45 - The Latest Trends in Coolant DIstribution Units (CDUs) 12:45 - CDU Sizing in the Hyperscale Age 15:35 - Managing Cooling for Dynamic AI Workloads 17:10 - The Role of Software in Holistic Cooling 20:35 - Grappling With the Megawatt Rack 22:15 - The Road Ahead - What's Next for Motivair by Schneider? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ [https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/] On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ [https://datacenterpodcast.com/] LINKS FROM THIS SHOW Motivair by Schneider https://www.motivaircorp.com/ [https://www.motivaircorp.com/] Rich Whitmore on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-whitmore-2167284/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-whitmore-2167284/] Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/] RELATED VIDEOS: Inside Schneider's Liquid Cooling Push With Motivair https://youtu.be/_uPj295skyQ?si=HmuAYGHCanJ69w-a [https://youtu.be/_uPj295skyQ?si=HmuAYGHCanJ69w-a] Liquid Cooling Has Finally Arrived https://youtu.be/sZM6MZBOeho?si=HrDgXB345zn51-XL [https://youtu.be/sZM6MZBOeho?si=HrDgXB345zn51-XL] A Closer Look at Two-Phase Liquid Cooling https://youtu.be/w_Us94JgYzc?si=wMd1TUS7bMJjqjew [https://youtu.be/w_Us94JgYzc?si=wMd1TUS7bMJjqjew] All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx [https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx]

Solid-State Transformers: The Bridge to 800 VDC?

There's big change coming to power distribution in data centers. Today on Data Center Center Richness, we look at the planned transition to 800 volt DC power distribution, and a new technology - Solid-State Transformers - could play a key role in these upgrades to AI infrastructure. Our guest is Dafna Granot, the Senior Manager for Strategy & Innovation at SolarEdge, which specializes in DC power technology to support solar energy in both consumer and utility settings. The company is expanding into the data center market, with a vision for how Solid-State Transformers can bring extreme efficiency to the 800 volt DC transition. Here's an overview of my conversation with Dafna Granot of SolarEdge: 00:00 - Why Big Change is Coming to Data Center Power. 01:16 - About SolarEdge and Dafna's background 03:20 - Solid-State Transformers and Why They Matter 07:10 - The 800 VDC Roadmap for Data Centers 12:50 - Timelines for 800 VDC Implementation 15:40 - The Challenges Accompanying Solid-State Transformers (SSTs) 18:40 - The Future Supply Chain for 800 VDC 20:20 - NVIDIA's Role in Shaping the DC Power Chain 23:00 - The Road Ahead: Staffing and Expertise ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW SolarEdge (Residential site) https://www.solaredge.com/us/ SolarEdge, Infineon Partner on SSTs for AI Data Centers https://investors.solaredge.com/news-releases/news-release-details/solaredge-and-infineon-collaborate-advance-high-efficiency-power Dafna Granot on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dafna-granot-b17099156/ Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: Fixing the AI Power Grid https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd- The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF Data Centers, AI and the Future of Power https://youtu.be/EYo2YK7L5q0?si=u6kDairimGUARt3b All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx

Using AI to Unlock More Power for Data Centers

We've all seen the headlines about AI data centers using up grid capacity and raising power prices. What you may not know is that AI can also find more power and help lower consumer bills. In this video we profile a startup called GridCARE, which is using AI tools and software to unlock more existing electricity for utilities and power grids. CEO Amit Narayan shares how this technology located 400 megawatts of capacity in one of the nation's busiest data center markets, enabling enough power for 5 new data center projects. What's even better is that if a utility can serve more data centers without having to build new transmission lines, it can actually lower power bills for consumers, and utilities can use the savings to improve their infrastructure. Yes, AI data centers use a lot of power. But there's much more to the story. Here's an overview of my conversation with GridCARE's Amit Narayan. 00:00 - Same Grid, Only With More Capacity 01:50 - Amit Narayan's Entrepreneurial Journey 05:30 - How GridCARE Works with Utilities and Data Centers 10:20 - Managing Peaks to Unlock Power 15:00 - Grid Optimization and Site Selection 17:45 - Finding 400 Megawatts for PGE in Oregon 24:00 - The Road Ahead: A Grid-Optimized Future ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At Data Center Richness we demystify technology and explain why data centers matter, and what comes next for the Internet, cloud computing and AI. Host Rich Miller is a journalist and analyst who has been covering the data center sector for 25 years. Subscribe to our channel for more insights: https://www.youtube.com/@DataCenterRichness?sub_confirmation=1 NOW ON SUBSTACK! Check out the Data Center Richness Substack: https://datacenterrichness.substack.com/ On the Web: Data Center Richness https://datacenterpodcast.com/ LINKS FROM THIS SHOW GridCARE https://www.gridcare.ai/ PGE and GridCARE Accelerate Hundreds of Megawatts of Data Center Power https://www.gridcare.ai/post/pge-and-gridcare-accelerate-hundreds-of-megawatts Amu Narayan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitnarayan/ Rich Miller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/datacenterfrontier/ RELATED VIDEOS: Fixing the AI Power Grid https://youtu.be/uwNa5dZfo90?si=DrOgnZv6ymKUHzd- The Solar Startup Aiming to Transform Data Centers https://youtu.be/KPdI5OW-TUw?si=8a10IaGZGQAcbWEF Data Centers in Space? https://youtu.be/huBe4mbycZc?si=bGX7vopdGpTAqRyG All video by Data Center Richness. Supplemental music via Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/60o8qx