Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
Advisor: Baosen Zhang
The rapid growth of AI has created a new challenge for the electricity grid. Data centers already consume over 4% of U.S. electricity, and that share is projected to reach 7 to 12% by 2028. This surge in demand risks straining the grid and slowing the transition to renewable energy. My research develops mathematical tools that help grid operators and data centers coordinate, so that these large new loads can be met with clean energy rather than fossil fuels. Since computing tasks can be shifted between data center locations, they offer a rare kind of flexibility that most electricity users can not. By developing methods that use this flexibility to align data center operations with the availability of renewable generation, my work supports CEI’s mission of accelerating a reliable and equitable clean energy transition.