IEEE SA recommends global grid standards for data centers

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) Industry Connections group released the report “Review of Industry Efforts and Standards of Grid Readiness For Data Center Deployment” and recommended developing harmonized IEEE standards to ensure grid reliability as data center investment and deployment grow.

• Main announcement: The IEEE SA Industry Connections group released a technical review report and recommended that IEEE develop global standards for data center grid performance (citing IEEE Std 2800-2022 as a model). The report identifies specific standards to create, including interconnection process and data requirements, performance requirements and interoperability, coordination of co-located generation, data center modeling in power system studies, and flexibility requirements and definitions.
• Background and details: The report references the IEA’s finding that global data center investment is expected to reach $580 billion (noting this is $40 billion more than spending on new oil supplies), reviews efforts by grid operators, utilities, industry trade groups and standard-setting bodies, and sets objectives for the IEEE activity to examine gaps/overlaps, assess current standards, and define a path for future standards development.