Energy parks are integrated hubs that intentionally co-locate energy generation, storage, and demand with interconnection to the grid. These projects could be an enduring, stable solution to mitigating challenges from growing electricity demand from large sources increasing energy prices, and the need to reinvigorate U.S. innovation in energy and industrial technologies. However, the successful development of these integrated hubs will require navigating both technical and nontechnical barriers.

Individual experts from the National Academies’ Forum on Energy Systems Transformation and Decarbonization will author an Issue Paper synthesizing strategies for developing energy parks and identifying how these projects could strengthen the United States’ ability to attain a resilient, decarbonized energy system. Specific topics will include:

• Economic considerations. Factors that make Energy Park projects economically and technically viable, including the state of knowledge in site identification.
• Technical factors. Technical challenges associated with co-optimization of energy resources and loads with the grid, including meeting the highly transient load profiles of large AI data centers while ensuring power quality and resilience for both the grid and the large power consumers.
• Policy and regulatory opportunities. The intersection of current siting and permitting frameworks with efforts to develop energy parks, opportunities for developers to overcome these and other barriers, and expected interactions between energy parks and the broader grid.
• Implementation approaches. Pathways for energy parks to be net-positive additions to the U.S. energy system, from serving as a reliability and affordability asset for the electric grid, to creating community benefits and economic activity for their host communities, to advancing the integration of low-emissions energy sources into the energy system. Steps for addressing life cycle considerations, such as changes in energy park occupants and technology viability over time, will also be discussed.