Leading technology company Google, which has invested more than 4 billion dollars in Virginia and has three data center campuses in the northern region of the state, co-hosted a private meeting in Richmond on Tuesday alongside the state Department of Energy to discuss how investments in the power grid can meet the growing energy needs of data centers.

Called the Virginia Grid Innovation Summit, Google and Virginia Energy led the summit with speeches from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Virginia Energy Director Glenn Davis, Del. Rep. Rep. Sullivan, D-Fairfax, and a representative from Dominion Energy, along with several energy-related stakeholders. businesses and non-profit organizations present.

According to a Google spokesperson, the summit was closed to the public to allow participants to speak “candidly” and “have a more in-depth conversation.”

Tuesday’s summit was the latest gathering of energy industry professionals to discuss data center growth in the state. Past events include the Virginia Clean Energy Summit, a Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce event and next week, Sen. Dave Marsden, Democrat of Fairfax, will call into law the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Summit.

“With the support of the Virginia Department of Energy, these industry leaders have come together to collaborate on a wide range of cutting-edge solutions that will further solidify Virginia’s legacy as a global technology hub and continue to propel Virginia forward,” said Gary Demasi, Global Head of Energy. director of energy strategy and data center location at Google, in a press release.

Senator Marsden to Host Virginia Clean Economy Act Summit Next Week

Participants discussed different types of energy that could be used to power data centers, including SMRs, hydropower and battery storage, according to participants.

Data centers are warehouses storing computers that process the Internet, and about 70% of those in the world are located in Virginia. Continued data center development is expected to more than double peak electricity needs in Dominion’s service territory, from 22 gigawatts this year to 45 megawatts by 2039.

The additional quantities of renewable, nuclear and natural gas power generation facilities that Dominion is proposing to meet the projected 5.5% annual load growth over this period could result in electricity bills for an typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatts of energy to increase from approximately $142.77 to $214.24 per month by the end of 2039.

Google had already announced an investment of a billion dollars investment in the state earlier this year to expand its data center campuses. Amazon and Dominion Energy announced a agreement last month to develop a small modular reactor, or SMR, to meet energy needs.

“Growing electricity demand presents a tremendous opportunity to develop a stronger, more reliable energy system – these investments will both support Virginia’s economy and strengthen our nation’s national security,” said Davis, of Virginia Energy, in the press release. “No entity can tackle this challenge alone, which is why bringing everyone to the table is a crucial step towards developing the right portfolio of solutions. »

Dominion Energy, according to the press release, talked about grid enhancement technologies, or GETs, which are ways to upgrade existing transmission lines to provide more electricity without building new lines between communities.

By the end of last year, the utility had added or replaced 800 miles of transmission lines with advanced conductor technology, giving those cables the ability to carry 50% more electricity.

Dominion is also deploying dynamic line rate technology for approximately 27 lines in the Northern Virginia region, where the state’s data centers are largely concentrated, to optimize the amount of electricity that can be transported under different conditions climatic.

Virginia environmental regulators make information on data center operations more publicly available

“We have been a pioneer in grid improvement technologies for many years, including advanced drivers, and we continue to deploy the latest innovations to improve reliability and bring more clean energy to the grid,” said said Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia.

Google also announced Tuesday that it would contribute $250,000 to the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council’s efforts to train workers in energy efficiency, or the idea of ​​sealing homes and retrofitting appliances to that they require less electricity.

Called the Workforce Energy Efficiency InitiativeVEEC launched this effort two years ago when a signature piece of President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, provided tax breaks for installing modern heat pumps in the place of old HVAC technologies.

EEWI has teamed up with Community Housing Partners and plans to help 24 Hampton Roads area workers obtain state certification by the end of the year to make housing improvements protection against bad weather by the end of the year. Their work will make homes more energy efficient by improving roofs, insulation and windows.

Funding from Google will also allow VEEC to offer energy efficiency training to other skilled trades, such as electricians and plumbers, and expand its weatherization training statewide.

“Google’s support for energy efficiency job training comes at a critical time as we work to meet the growing demand for these jobs,” said Chelsea Harnish, executive director of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council. “Allowing the Council to expand our programs statewide will make a huge difference in helping the Commonwealth train and certify the energy efficiency workforce needed in the future.” »

Next month, the Joint State Legislative Audit Review Commission is expected to release a wide range of policy recommendations regarding energy, water and land use requirements for data centers.