By Darren Alsabrook, The Alliance Gazette
AI, Science & the Infrastructure Behind It | Part 3
A data center does not need just a power source. It needs a power plan: enough electricity when the computers need it, a way to ride through interruptions, and an answer for what happens when one part of the system is unavailable.
That is why announcements now pair computing with batteries, geothermal wells, hydrogen equipment and advanced nuclear reactors. These approaches do different jobs.
Fervo Energy reported a concrete milestone on October 1, 2026: the first GeoBlock at its Cape Station project in Utah had reached commercial operation and achieved 33 megawatts of net power production. The company said two other units in the initial phase were still being commissioned. [4]
The useful question is not whether a technology sounds futuristic. It is what it can do today, what must still happen, and who is responsible for delivering the rest.
A battery is not a fuel supply
Two numbers help make power announcements understandable. Megawatts (MW) measure power. The electricity ratings in this article are electrical output unless otherwise labeled. Megawatt-hours describe an amount of energy. The U.S. Energy Information Administration uses both when describing storage: how much power a system can deliver and how much energy it holds. [1]
An illustrative battery rated at 100 megawatts with 400 megawatt-hours of usable energy could supply that rated output for about four hours before accounting for operating reserves or other limits. That is arithmetic, not the specification of any project discussed here.
Batteries can help move electricity from one time to another and support reliability. But describing their power rating alone does not say how long they can serve a facility. Readers should ask for both numbers, the charging source and the operating conditions. [1]
A Texas project combines several tools
Google and Intersect announced construction of the Meitner Energy Center in Gray and Roberts counties on June 4, 2026. Their plan pairs a data center with more than a gigawatt of combined wind, solar and battery-storage systems. [2]
The companies describe a majority of the site's power coming from clean energy from its first day, with a minority supplied by on-site gas generation to maintain reliability. They also say the data center will use air cooling to limit water consumption. These are stated design and operating plans, not a year of measured results. [2]
This example is useful precisely because it is a combination. It should not be described as fossil-free, nor should the aggregate capacity figure be treated as a promise of that much continuous electricity. For a local project, the corresponding questions are how the pieces work together and what the grid must provide when conditions change.
Geothermal: Heat from below, electricity above
Enhanced geothermal systems seek to use hot underground rock where naturally occurring fluid pathways are insufficient. The Department of Energy explains that engineered reservoirs allow fluid to move through hot rock and carry usable heat to the surface. This is a power-generation technology, distinct from placing computers in a cool underground room. [3]
A separate September 1 announcement concerns a 396-megawatt purchase agreement with Google for a later Cape Station development expected in 2028. Fervo described the associated Utah data center as potential, subject to engineering, approvals and commercial conditions. [5]
Those are two different milestones: a first operating block and a contract supporting future development. Combining their numbers would make today's achievement look larger than the evidence supports.
Hydrogen: A demonstrated role in backup power
The cooling installment explained how hydrogen fuel cells can make electricity and produce water. Another important use is backup power.
A February 2024 DOE-hosted technical presentation describes a 1.5-megawatt fuel-cell system demonstrated at a Microsoft data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with batteries and other electrical equipment. The presenters discuss backup-power testing and the practical requirements of hydrogen supply, integration and equipment space. [6]
That is meaningful engineering work. A backup demonstration, however, is not evidence that an entire campus now runs continuously on hydrogen. Continuous operation requires a sustained fuel supply and a design built for that duty. The presentation discusses that possibility, not proof of a universal replacement for existing generation. [6]
Reactors: Distinguish a mockup from a power plant
A nuclear power plant turns heat into electricity. Fission splits atomic nuclei, releasing heat that can be used to produce steam and drive a turbine-generator. Advanced designs change how fuel, coolant and other systems handle that process. [8,11]
Advanced nuclear development is real, but the word “test” can describe very different activities.
In September 2026, Kairos Power reported work on Engineering Test Unit 3, a non-nuclear, reduced-scale reactor-cavity mockup. Its purposes include testing shielding construction and remote maintenance. It is not a nuclear electricity-generating plant. [7]
Kairos separately announced groundbreaking for its Hermes 2 demonstration plant in April 2026. The company's plan is to supply up to 50 megawatts of electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority grid, supporting Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. Kairos's August 2025 announcement set a 2030 operating target for that revised, single-reactor plan. These are planned electrical output and timing, not current generation. [8,12]
The NRC records construction permits for Hermes 2; its published description reflects the earlier two-reactor design. The 50-megawatt electrical figure comes from the later company plan, not that earlier permit description. Under the NRC’s two-step process, a construction permit allows building, not operation. Designs can evolve, subject to review before operation. Current construction and operating milestones must be checked against the regulatory record. [9,10]
The questions that turn a proposal into a plan
For any proposed facility, ask for a dated explanation of:
- What is operating now, under construction, contracted or only proposed?
- Which equipment supplies everyday power, and which provides backup?
- What happens during maintenance, fuel interruption or unfavorable weather?
- Who pays for new connections and supporting infrastructure?
- Which performance commitments will be measured and publicly reported?
These questions are not an argument against innovation. They help distinguish a promising idea from a dependable service.
The strongest case for new technology is a specific one: a working system, a clearly identified job, and results that can be checked. Communities do not need to choose between excitement about scientific progress and careful questions about the infrastructure that supports it.
Next: Underground data centers, useful waste heat, and the difference between a smaller visible footprint and no footprint at all.
Sources
[1] U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Energy storage for electricity generation,” definitions of power and energy capacity. Accessed October 22, 2026. Older deployment totals on that page are not used here.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/energy-storage-for-electricity-generation.php
[2] Google and Intersect, Meitner Energy Center announcement, June 4, 2026. Company plans and commitments, not independently measured operating outcomes.
https://storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uniblog-publish-prod/documents/Google_Intersect_Texas_Announcement_-_June_2026.pdf
[3] U.S. Department of Energy, “Enhanced Geothermal Systems,” accessed October 22, 2026.
https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/geothermal/enhanced-geothermal-systems
[4] Fervo Energy, Cape Station commercial-operation announcement, October 1, 2026. Company-reported operating milestone.
https://fervoenergy.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/fervo-energy-declares-commercial-operation-cape-station-ahead
[5] Fervo Energy, September 1, 2026 announcement filed as SEC Exhibit 99.1. Company statement; SEC hosting is not independent validation of a forecast.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1853868/000162828026059707/exhibit991pressrelease9126.htm
[6] DOE H2IQ Hour technical presentation transcript, February 2024, “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generator Demonstration at Microsoft Data Center,” accessed October 22, 2026.
https://www.energy.gov/cmei/fuels/february-h2iq-hour-hydrogen-fuel-cell-generator-demonstration-microsoft-data-center-text
[7] Kairos Power, ETU 3 hardware demonstration, September 4, 2026.
https://www.kairospower.com/updates/kairos-power-completes-first-phase-of-etu-3-hardware-demonstration
[8] Kairos Power, Hermes 2 groundbreaking, April 17, 2026.
https://www.kairospower.com/updates/kairos-power-breaks-ground-on-hermes-2-demonstration-plant
[9] NRC, Hermes 2 project and construction-permit record. Search-indexed official page reviewed October 26, 2026; direct page fetch returned HTTP 403. Do not infer a new operating authorization from incomplete access.
https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/non-power-facilities/new-facility-licensing/hermes-2-kairos-application
[10] NRC, “Pre-application Process,” Part 50 licensing explanation, accessed October 22, 2026.
https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/new-reactors/advanced-reactors/new-applicants/guidance-for-prospective-applicants/pre-application-process
[11] DOE Office of Science, “DOE Explains…Nuclear Fission,” accessed October 22, 2026.
https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsnuclear-fission
[12] Kairos Power, Google/TVA collaboration announcement, August 18, 2025. Revised single-reactor plan, proposed 50 MW electrical output and 2030 operating target.
https://www.kairospower.com/updates/google-kairos-power-tva-collaborate-to-meet-americas-growing-energy-needs