Harvard Law Expert Explains How AI Data Centers Could Change Your Electricity Bill

AI data centers are driving unprecedented electricity demand—but who should pay for it all? Energy Central’s Matt Chester sits down with Ari Peskoe, Director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School, to unpack how the data center boom is reshaping electricity costs, utility regulation, and the power grid. Peskoe explains why adding a hyperscale data center can be like “plopping down a large city basically out of nowhere” from the power sector’s perspective. The conversation also examines utilities’ incentives to attract data centers, the push for greater transparency, and whether tech companies should simply build their own power generation. Plus, Ari answers questions submitted directly by the Energy Central community about behind-the-meter power, climate impacts, data center noise, and the future of electricity regulation as AI-driven demand continues to grow.