Rising demand forecasts are presenting significant challenges for public power utilities. A primary driver is data center interest within local communities.
According to APPA’s October 2025 report, What Public Power Needs to Know about Serving Data Centers, projections for data center capacity growth range from 50 GW (S&P Global Market Intelligence) to 120 GW (Deloitte and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. At any end of that spectrum, it’s an historic amount of demand.
As you think about the issues surrounding meeting this unprecedented demand, new technologies should be a key focus for public power. A good example of this is the recent move by the Utah Municipal Power Agency to deploy 48 MW of new capacity using linear generators in Nephi, Utah.
Linear generators: One new solution worth your attention.
As I strive to keep abreast of evolving industry issues and challenges, I was fortunate about two years ago to learn of Mainspring Energy and the entirely new approach it is taking to meeting local power generation needs. Their demonstrated success, examples of which are below, is impressive.
The company manufactures Linear Generators: power generators that run on any fuel, are fully dispatchable, use no water, and emit near-zero NOx. With their proprietary technology, Mainspring delivers local power that can rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable electric power. They began commercial shipments in 2020 and today have hundreds of megawatts in field operations and advanced development. I’ve been so impressed with their solution, in fact, that I’ve joined their Strategic Advisory Board.
A record of success with existing installations.
Most utility managers understandably don’t want to be first when it comes to adopting newer technologies. We all want the reassurance that a product is proven in customer field operations. Fortunately, there are multiple existing installations of linear generators up and running. I’ve visited some myself. Here are two installations I think you’ll find especially relevant.
An irrigation district powering one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S.
Lathrop Irrigation District (LID) is the municipal electric utility serving the River Islands community in Lathrop, CA — one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. LID needed power to support approximately 4,000 homes and 3 million square feet of commercial space.
Their ideal power solution would help lower electricity costs, quickly dispatch to complement existing rooftop solar, and meet the NOx emissions compliance with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, one of the strictest in the country. What’s more, it had to fit in a limited footprint, scale with long-term community growth, and be deployed and permitted quickly to keep pace with development.
Mainspring’s low-emissions design and factory-built units enabled LID to secure air permits in three months and deploy 2.3 MW generators in seven months.
Commercially operational since February, 2025, LID is now meeting 95% of River Island’s peak demand, has 24/7 control over its electricity supply reducing its exposure to volatile pricing and rising transmission costs, and with Mainspring’s modular design, is well positioned for future capacity expansion.
10MW of new electricity without three years of grid infrastructure buildout.
Facing California’s ambitious zero-emissions truck mandate with properties near the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, logistics real estate company Prologis needed to deploy EV charging infrastructure for its customer, Maersk, looking to charge a fleet of up to 96 electric drayage trucks.
This would require nearly 10 MW of capacity and take three years of grid infrastructure build-out.
Grid resilience and cost also presented longer-term challenges, as did the need to meet the company’s own ambitious sustainability goals. The new EV charging infrastructure needed to be fast, resilient, cost-effective, and clean.
Prologis reduced that estimated time for new power from nearly 36 months down to 9 months with a power solution consisting of 3 MW of Mainspring Linear Generators and 6 MW / 18 MWh of storage.
Commercially operational since 2024, Prologis has eliminated outage risk with an islanded microgrid, obtained best-in-class total cost of ownership resulting from competitive capital costs and low operating expenses, and has the ability to run biogas and zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen as well as natural gas. It’s the largest EV truck charging station in North America.
An opportunity to learn more through APPA
If this piques your interest, Mainspring will be participating in the APPA Engineering and Operations Conference, March 29 - April 1, 2026 and the annual APPA conference in June. Either would be a good place for public power managers and their staff to learn more about how linear generator technology can help meet the significant demand challenges facing today’s public power utilities.
When a utility provides multiple essential services, managing functions such as billing, operations and customer service can be extremely complex, both for employees and customers.
This is Newport Utilities’ story of how they evolved from a siloed approach, where every department was totally independent of one another, to the total integration of all aspects of the business.
Learn how this “small but mighty” staff is benefiting from the efficiencies NISC solutions provide.
[Ephrata, WA / Jacksonville, FL – February 18, 2026] – The Energy Authority (TEA) and the Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, WA (Grant PUD) announced today that TEA’s Board of Directors and Grant PUD’s Commission have approved Grant PUD’s Membership in TEA, deepening the organizations’ strategic relationship and expanding TEA’s Member footprint to be nationwide.
As a Member of TEA, Grant PUD will have access to TEA’s full suite of services, including energy trading and risk management, portfolio management, advanced analytics, and advisory solutions.
Grant PUD will become TEA’s seventh Member on April 1, 2026, strengthening TEA’s public power membership base and aligning TEA’s Membership with its national client footprint. Grant PUD joins TEA’s existing Members: American Municipal Power, Inc.; City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri; Grand River Dam Authority; JEA; Nebraska Public Power District; and the South Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper).
Grant PUD first partnered with TEA in 2025, and the relationship quickly demonstrated the value of TEA’s services and experience. In a short time, Grant PUD saw the additional strategic advantages that Membership brings —deeper alignment, long-term stability, and a direct role in shaping TEA’s future—leading to the decision to join TEA as a Member.
“TEA has proven to be a trusted partner and regional leader as the West undergoes significant market evolution,” said John Mertlich, General Manager & CEO of Grant PUD. “Becoming a Member is a natural next step. It formalizes our long-term alignment and ensures Grant PUD and TEA work together to take advantage of the changing market landscape in the region. Being a Member of TEA also ensures that Grant PUD has a strong voice in TEA’s strategic direction as we work together to manage risk, capture value, and serve our customers with reliability and affordability.”
Grant PUD is well-known for its leadership in regional and national public power initiatives, including its role in the Large Public Power Council (LPPC) and its forward-thinking approach to navigating market transformation in the West.
“TEA is honored to welcome Grant PUD as our newest Member,” said Joanie Teofilo, President & CEO of The Energy Authority. “Grant PUD has long been recognized for its leadership, both in the Pacific Northwest and across the industry. Their decision to become a Member of TEA reflects a shared commitment to public power values, strategic growth, and building long-term strength through collaboration. We are thrilled to welcome Grant PUD as our seventh Member.”
“On behalf of the TEA Board, we are very pleased to welcome Grant PUD to Membership in TEA,” said Jimmy Staton, Chair of TEA’s Board of Directors. “As the nation’s leader in serving public power, it is important that TEA’s Membership reflects the breadth of our nationwide client footprint. Grant PUD is widely recognized as a leader in public power and an important force in the Western energy market landscape. Their perspective will strengthen the TEA Board and enhance our ability to serve public power across the country.”
About Grant County Public Utility District
Grant PUD, a public utility providing power and fiber service for Grant County, Washington, was founded in 1938 by local residents who envisioned affordable electricity for the entire county. Today, Grant PUD realizes that vision with a generation portfolio of more than 2,100 megawatts of clean, renewable, reliable energy, and by delivering power at some of the most affordable rates in the country. To learn more, visit www.grantpud.org.
About The Energy Authority
TEA provides public power with access to advanced resources and technology for responding competitively in the ever-changing energy markets. As a national energy trading and risk management firm, TEA not only provides public power entities with a strategic perspective on deriving maximum value from their assets but also offers advisory services, advanced analytics, and renewable solutions. Through partnership with TEA, clients benefit from an organization that understands the unique challenges facing community-owned utilities today. TEA is currently partnered with over 70 public power utilities nationwide. To learn more, visit www.teainc.org.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (February 2, 2026) – Ubicquia, Inc., a leader in intelligent infrastructure solutions for utilities, municipalities and enterprises today announced the launch of AI-driven power monitoring services purpose-built for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers. Powered by Ubicquia’s AI driven UbiVu® analytics platform, the service delivers 24/7 monitoring, real-time visibility, and predictive insights into business-critical power quality issues—without upfront capital or operational disruption.
Designed for C&I customers of all sizes, the new service helps businesses predict and prevent emergency outages and reduce the operational and financial risks associated with poor power quality. The service is particularly beneficial for commercial and industrial environments where power reliability is mission-critical including commercial and residential buildings, logistics and distribution centers, multi-location retail operations, manufacturing facilities, telecommunications infrastructure, and data- and energy-sensitive operations.
“You can’t have grid reliability without grid visibility,” said Ian Aaron, Chief Executive Officer at Ubicquia. “We’ve taken the success of our UbiGrid® distribution transformer monitoring and UbiVu analytics platform deployed at scale with major utilities and made it available to commercial and industrial customers, as a service with no upfront capital. With UbiVu enabling the customer and utility to see the same real-time data, we can predict and identify power quality issues before they become failures.”
A $145 Billion Annual Business Problem
A study conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimates that poor power quality costs U.S. businesses more than $145 billion annually, driven by equipment damage, data loss, operational downtime, and increased energy costs. Without real-time visibility into power quality, businesses struggle to understand root causes, predict failures, or take proactive action to protect critical operations.
Real-Time Visibility for Proactive Power Quality Management
Ubicquia addresses these challenges with 24/7 transformer monitoring and AI-driven, real-time power quality analytics that translate electrical anomalies into clear business impact and actionable insights. Ubicquia’s service helps C&I customers prevent:
- Damage to sensitive and high-value equipment (caused by sudden voltage events)
- Equipment malfunction, overheating, and shortened asset life
- Data loss and operational disruptions
- Unexpected increases in operating and energy costs
- Poor capacity planning due to unseen load growth
Power quality issues affect all buildings, including modern buildings, frequently causing equipment to overheat and waste energy. Ubicquia helps prevent these issues by continuously monitoring more than 24 power-quality parameters—such as voltage disturbances, harmonics, and load changes—and applies AI-driven analytics to detect, predict, and prioritize issues in real time. As part of the service, Ubicquia provides continuous monitoring and resolution coordination, working with both the customer and the local utility to quickly determine responsibility and accelerate responses.
“Ubicquia’s power quality analysis delivers insights that traditional power quality meters simply can’t,” said Melvin Liwag, Senior Engineer, System Planning and Reliability Engineering, Orlando Utilities Commission. “Shared, real-time visibility allows us to quickly determine whether an issue originates on the utility side or the customer side, coordinate resolution, and help protect equipment, improve reliability, and extend transformer life.”
Simple, Scalable Service Model for C&I Customers
- Low monthly cost per transformer business model
- No up-front capital
- No downtime
- Includes installation
- Includes real-time data for both the customer and utility*
- Includes 24/7 monitoring
- Includes resolution coordination with the customer and utility
* Real-time data can be integrated with existing building management systems and third-party platforms to support Energy Star™ compliance and revenue-grade metering.
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About Ubicquia
Ubicquia’s AI platforms make existing critical infrastructure intelligent to reduce energy consumption, increase resiliency, and enhance operational efficiency. Built on grid-scale deployments and billions of data points analyzed daily, Ubicquia’s analytics platforms deliver actionable insights across utilities, municipalities, and now commercial and industrial customers. Ubicquia® solutions—spanning sensors, software, and wireless connectivity—are compatible with hundreds of millions of grid and infrastructure assets worldwide and are deployed in more than 1,000 cities. For more information, visit www.ubicquia.com.
