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The Conversation USA

Data centers told to pitch in as storms and cold weather boost power demand

  • Written by Nikki Luke, Assistant Professor of Human Geography, University of Tennessee
imageDuring winter storms, physical damage to wires and high demand for heating put pressure on the electrical grid.Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

As Winter Storm Fern swept across the United States in late January 2026, bringing ice, snow and freezing temperatures, it left more than a million people without power, mostly in the Southeast.

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