Data-centre power, plainly explained
Short, sourced answers to the questions we are asked most about powering AI data centres. Each one leads with the answer, names its sources and links to the full analysis in SitePower Insights.
- Time to power
What is time to power, and why does it decide which data-centre sites get built?
Time to power is how long it takes for firm electricity to reach a site’s load. In 2026 it is the binding constraint on US data-centre development: sites can be built in months, but grid interconnection queues now run several years. A site with a 24-month behind-the-meter pathway is worth far more than the same site waiting four years for the grid.
Read the answer - Behind-the-meter vs grid
Is behind-the-meter power cheaper than grid power for a data centre?
Not per megawatt-hour. In 2026 grid-tied solar PPAs averaged about $64/MWh in North America, while new behind-the-meter gas typically runs $70–130/MWh all-in. But behind-the-meter often wins on time-adjusted cost: if the grid cannot deliver inside the offtaker’s 12–24 month window, the cheaper grid price is not actually available.
Read the answer - Powered land
What is powered land for data centres?
Powered land is land where firm power either already exists on site or can be credibly assembled inside the offtaker’s deployment window — typically through behind-the-meter generation, subsurface gas access or co-located storage. In 2026 it became the unit of value in US data-centre site selection, replacing raw acreage.
Read the answer - Financing
How are AI data centres financed in 2026?
Through almost every institutional vehicle at once: hyperscaler balance sheets, off-balance-sheet joint ventures, data-centre REITs, core infrastructure funds, private credit and securitisation. Moody’s projects about $700bn of hyperscaler data-centre capex in 2026. Capital is no longer the constraint — qualified, closeable deal flow is.
Read the answer
Matching technology, sites and capital
SitePower.ai is an application-only marketplace that qualifies each side of an energy infrastructure deal and brings the right counterparties together.