Resources: energy
Energy supply pathways
How data centres get power, organised around delivery, firmness and timing. For each pathway: the evidence to ask for and the distinction that is most often blurred. There is no credible single best source for every country and facility.
JLL reported in January 2026 that the average wait for a grid connection in primary data centre markets exceeds four years, and that operators are turning to on-site power and battery storage (JLL 2026 outlook (opens in a new tab)).
Pathways
| Pathway | Evidence to ask for | Important distinction | On CoolPower Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grid connection and substation | Utility queue and process, allocated capacity, connection date, flexibility terms and who pays for which works. | A connection allocation is not commissioned IT load. | Switchgear & Transformers suppliers, Data centre power distribution |
| Gas engines and turbines | Prime or standby duty, fuel supply, permits, derating, maintenance and evidence of delivered projects. | Claims of fast procurement need current delivery and permitting evidence. | Gensets & On-site Power suppliers |
| Diesel or HVO backup generation | Operating duty, run-hour limits, engine maker approval of the fuel and fuel autonomy. | Backup generation is not automatically continuous prime power. | Gensets & On-site Power suppliers, Backup power and energy storage |
| Fuel cells | Fuel and reforming, net output, start-up time, maintenance and project status. | Fuel-cell chemistry does not by itself prove low-carbon supply. | Gensets & On-site Power suppliers |
| Solar, wind and PPAs | On-site or off-site, resource profile, contract type, hourly matching and firming. | Nameplate MW or annual certificates are not firm hourly supply. | No portal record yet |
| Battery and long-duration storage | Power (MW), usable energy (MWh), losses, reserves, degradation, dispatch and safety. | Storage shifts energy. It is not an independent primary source. | BESS & Energy Storage suppliers, Backup power and energy storage |
| Supply from existing nuclear plants | Operating or restart project, offtake milestones and the grid and regulatory context. | Buying from an existing plant is different from new reactor delivery. | No portal record yet |
| Small modular and advanced reactors | Country, design, regulator, licence stage (construction or operation) and target dates. | Permission to build is not permission to operate. No design is generically available now. | No portal record yet |
| Geothermal and hydro | Local resource, project status, permitting and delivered-power terms. | Availability and suitability are site-specific. | No portal record yet |
Keep these separate
These measure different things and should never be merged into one score:
- Levelised cost of electricity (LCOE)
- Delivered electricity tariff
- Installed capital cost
- Storage duration
- Emissions accounting
- Resilience
Project maturity should come from regulator or operator evidence. See projects and policy records for dated, sourced examples.
Sources
- IEA: Powering Artificial Intelligence, executive summary (opens in a new tab) accessed 18 Oct 2026
- U.S. Department of Energy: Microgrids, Large Electric Loads and Grid Support: How to Leverage Microgrids to Support Utilities and Large Load Customers (3 June 2026) (opens in a new tab) accessed 18 Oct 2026
- JLL: 2026 Global Data Center Market Outlook (opens in a new tab) accessed 18 Oct 2026
Gaps: U.S. NRC advanced reactor licensing milestones page returned HTTP 403 to our research tools on 18 October 2026, so it is not cited yet. Updated 18 Oct 2026.