Forecasting and Managing Data Center Demand
Robin is Director of Grid Strategy and Solutions for Georgia Power Company focusing on advancing emerging solutions to better plan, optimize and operate the grid. Her work is driven by a passion for shaping the future of energy.
Prior to current role, Lanier lead New Ventures and Environmental Regulatory & Strategy at Georgia Power Company.
Hamed is an accomplished leader, entrepreneur and expert in subsurface engineering with extensive experience across the O&G, geothermal, CCS and energy storage sectors with over 350 global projects, blending technical expertise with strategic business development. Hamed has taught industry-focused courses, delivered SPE and EAGE short courses and served as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2012, 2017 and 2020.
Erika Kirkland is the Chief Operations Manager of 2Oceans, a strategic connector operating at the intersection of land, power, capital and digital infrastructure. She connects developers, landowners, operators and institutional capital to enable financeable, buyer-ready data center projects. Erika focuses on land analysis, data center finance, buyouts and tax-advantaged capital deployment with disciplined structure and neutral execution globally.
Bill Thomson is a marketing, product and strategy leader with deep experience launching and scaling software, cloud services and technology infrastructure. He specializes in helping growing tech companies sharpen strategy, commercialize products and execute effective go-to-market plans. Bill has led teams across enterprise software, telecommunications and data center solutions, building high-quality end-to-end customer experiences.
Pier is the co-founder and CEO of Sparkfund, which helps utilities deploy DERs to enhance grid affordability, reliability, and resilience. He serves as a Trustee at The Nature Conservancy’s Maryland and DC chapter and a member of Fidelity Charitable’s Next Gen Strategy Committee. Previously, he co-founded an energy efficiency finance service at ICF International and founded Race to Replace, a clean energy voter registration campaign in Vermont.
The panel examined data center growth as both a grid challenge and an economic opportunity for the Super South. Participants discussed how rising digital demand, AI, cloud infrastructure and regional growth are increasing pressure on utilities while also accelerating investment in storage, geothermal, load flexibility, efficiency and grid modernization. The discussion focused on how to serve new demand without sacrificing reliability, affordability or customer benefit.
Data centers were framed as part of a larger demand surge, not the only driver
The panel pushed back on the idea that data centers alone are causing load growth. Participants connected demand to AI, cloud platforms, digital services, telehealth, banking, streaming and everyday device use. The important nuance is that data centers are visible infrastructure but the demand ultimately comes from customers, businesses and modern life becoming more digital. This matters because the panel treated digital infrastructure as an economic foundation, not an isolated burden.
A repeated theme was that the grid was built for peak demand, which means capacity sits unused during many hours of the year. Participants described the opportunity to move energy from lower-demand periods into peak periods through batteries, flexibility and better control.
The deeper insight is that the solution is not only building more infrastructure. It is using existing wires, substations and capacity more intelligently so more customers can be served without raising costs.
Flexibility depends on customer experience and economics
The panel emphasized that flexible load programs only work if customers are not harmed by them. EVs, thermostats, batteries and other distributed resources can help reduce peaks but only when incentives make sense and personal preferences are respected. This was especially important in the discussion of data centers, where some uses can flex while others cannot. AI training may be shiftable but cloud services supporting mission-critical business operations often require continuous uptime.
Participants made a clear distinction among types of data centers. Some facilities may be able to reduce demand during peaks because their work is internal or delay-tolerant. Others support cloud platforms, enterprise applications or leased tenants whose loads cannot simply be turned down. This distinction is critical because treating all data centers as flexible would create unrealistic planning assumptions. The caveat is that flexibility is still possible but must be designed around actual use case, contracts and operational risk.
Energy abundance was presented as a strategic mindset
Several participants shifted the conversation away from scarcity and toward abundance. The panel suggested that growth creates the opportunity to invest in better infrastructure, lower unit costs and expand economic competitiveness. This was not blind optimism. It was tied to the belief that new demand can help fund modernization if utilities, regulators, data center operators and technology providers coordinate well. The key point is that growth can benefit all customers if managed carefully.
Batteries were positioned as more than backup devices. Participants described them as tools that move energy across time, absorb shocks and help make intermittent resources more useful. This mental model matters because it reframes storage as a capacity and coordination asset. Batteries can charge when energy is available, discharge during scarcity and provide utilities with more granular control when deployed in the right places with the right telemetry.
While much of the conversation focused on generation and grid capacity, participants also warned against overlooking energy efficiency. One perspective emphasized that large amounts of energy are wasted through heat and cooling systems globally. Another clarified that data centers already have strong business incentives to operate efficiently but still have room to improve. The shared insight is that the cleanest and cheapest energy resource may be the energy that does not need to be produced.
The Super South has a competitive infrastructure moment
The panel identified the Southeast, especially Georgia and Atlanta, as a rapidly growing data center market. Participants connected this growth to business-friendly utility planning, available infrastructure and strong regional demand. The subtle caveat is that the region’s advantage is not guaranteed. Hyperscale customers have choices, so speed, certainty, power availability and policy clarity will determine whether growth stays in the region.
The presentation framed data center demand as a defining test for the Super South’s energy future. Participants agreed that the region must combine collaboration, education, disruptive technology, focus and abundance thinking. The strongest takeaway is that digital growth can support broader grid modernization if flexibility, efficiency, storage, geothermal potential and customer affordability are built into the strategy from the start.
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