Behind-the-Meter Debate
Join energy and infrastructure leaders as they debate whether behind-the-meter power strategies are reshaping the role of the modern data center.
Connect | Virginia // The Energy Summit
The Energy Summit: Your Roadmap to Navigating Power Constraints in North America
Emerging from the backdrop of AI’s rapid rise, grid constraints, regulatory scrutiny, and demand of power, the Energy Summit at DCD Connect | Virginia brings together hyperscalers, colocation and cloud providers, utilities, power solution providers, policymakers, investors, and data center developers. The summit will address securing, structuring, and scaling power, while adressing knowledge and collaboration gaps. Discussions will focus on the evolving power mix, bankable financing models, engaging local communities, and best practices for balancing speed and costs.
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Power Ecosystem Connections: Bringing together the data center energy, power, and sustainability ecosystem through innovative session formats designed to spark high-value conversations.
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Actionable Market Intelligence: Explore emerging power technologies, regulatory shifts, investment opportunities, market updates, and the realities of powering AI-driven infrastructure growth.
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Operational Insights: Unlock practical lessons, proven strategies, and best practices from the operators, pioneers, and innovators shaping the future of digital infrastructure.
Agenda Highlights
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Panel: United we stand - Unlocking collaboration across the data center ecosystem
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- Energy Summit
- Energy & Sustainability
- Mission Critical Power
- Open Session
Speakers
Steven Carlini
Chief Advocate AI and Data Center, Schneider Electric
Director Energy Americas, Ramboll
VP of Data Center Development & Construction, Powerhouse Data Centers
Senior Director II, Procurement & Offsite Fabrication, Rowan Digital Infrastructure
No single data center player can solve the power, permitting, and procurement challenges alone. The status quo is no longer sustainable. Working in silos is costing the industry time, investments, and local trust. To get projects across the finish line at the rate and scale requires means operators, utilities, investors, ISOs, and regulators need to collaborate earlier than ever before. This panel explores what industry cross-collaboration looks like in practice and the steps we will need to take to achieve success.
- What does early engagement between operators, utilities, ISOs, and regulators look like, and how can it better predict success?
- Addressing shared decision-making across cooling strategies, site selection, grid access, and long-term capacity planning
- Power diplomacy - establishing early collaboration and transparency between operators, utilities, investors, ISOs, and regulators
- Navigating competing priorities while mitigating speculative risks to avoid project delays
- Engaging partners in early stages of development - has it led to faster and more bankable solutions?
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Debate: Behind-the-meter spotlight - Are data centers becoming the new utility?
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- Energy Summit
- Energy & Sustainability
- Mission Critical Power
- Open Session
Speakers
Gary Hill
President & CEO, DVL Group
Dax Kepshire
COO, ON.energy
Head of Power Systems, SPOC Energy
Thomas Seeber
Managing Director – Data Center Power Solutions, INNIO Group
The behind-the-meter power race is broadening. Gas turbines, fuel cells, and small modular reactors are all competing for the same opportunity and the winners will be the ones that can deliver reliability at hyperscale speed. Meanwhile, utilities need data centers to be flexible, utilizing behind-the-meter strategies to alleviate peak demand. This debate seeks to address:
- The emergence of power generation as a core competency and the rise of Bring Your Own Power (BYOP) in remote regions like West Texas and the South West
- Are dual-feed designs the key to building and powering with flexibility?
- What is the perceived reliability of off-grid systems vs on-grid?
- Exploring the variety of behind-the-meter solutions available for data centers
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Panel: Beyond the megawatts - Power diplomacy, transparency, and the social license to operate
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- Energy Summit
- Energy & Sustainability
- Mission Critical Power
- Open Session
Speakers
Chief Marketing and Product Officer, EdgeConneX
Preston Grisham
Vice President of Policy & External Affairs, Cologix
Kimberly Embrey
Director, Training & Development, Stream Data Centers
The era of demanding large power blocks by a fixed date is giving way to a new one. Operators must seek collaborative models where developers, utilities, regulators, and communities work together to deliver infrastructure at scale. Transparency and early engagement are the crux of success, impacting how projects are connected and accepted by local communities. At the same time, states like Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia are moving quickly to legislate new frameworks for large loads, rewarding projects that integrate clean energy and contribute to broader grid health. This panel will discuss:
- Best practices for developing durable political and community relationships before legislation is drafted
- How to address organized opposition when energy project details are commercially sensitive?
- Raising awareness to create credible community engagement strategies
- How can developers leverage local workforce training to establish long-term community and political ties?
New for 2026: connecting the digital infrastructure industry with the power ecosystem shaping the AI era
Join operators, utilities, energy developers, investors, and infrastructure leaders at the Energy Summit
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Power Strategy for the AI Era
Hear from leaders as they explore how operators are responding to accelerating AI demand, tightening grid capacity, and the growing challenge of securing scalable power.
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Energy Summit Networking Lunch
Connect with C-suite leaders, utilities, developers, investors, and operators over lunch to discuss capacity planning, hybrid energy offtakes, financing challenges, permitting hurdles, and best practices for navigating utility partnerships.
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Power Development & Infrastructure Planning
Industry experts share insights on power procurement, permitting timelines, and aligning generation capacity with the rapid growth of data center infrastructure.
Secure your pass
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End-User/Specifier Pass
Includes access to
Connect | Virginia
For end-users within the digital infrastructure industry
Who qualifies?
✅ End-users within the data center industry from Enterprise and Hyperscale
✅ End-users specializing in IT, Compute, Storage or Networking
✅ Technical roles from Colocation Operators
✅ Specifiers of data center technology & services (technical roles) from AECs (Architects, Consulting Engineers, Contractors), Systems Integrators and Energy Utilities
✅ Procurement teams
Who does not qualify?
❌Sales & Marketing Professionals
❌Technology or Service Vendors
❌Resellers
❌Recruitment Firms
Extra details
End-User/Specifier passes include access to both days of DCD Connect | Virginia on November 3-4 at the Lansdowne Resort & Spa.
You will also be invited to private activations included hosted lunches, cocktail hours and VIP dinners (subject to availability) and have the ability to book meetings via the event app.
Complimentary food & beverages are provided throughout the event. -
General Admission Pass
Includes access to
Connect | Virginia
For digital infrastructure analysts and sales & marketing professionals.
Who qualifies?
✅ Sales & Marketing Professionals from: Colocation & Cloud Providers, AECs (Architects, Consulting Engineers, Contractors), Systems Integrators and Energy Utilities
✅ Digital Infrastructure Investors/Analysts
✅ Law Firms & Professional Advisory Services
Who does not qualify?
❌Technology or Service Vendors
❌Resellers
❌Recruitment Firms
Extra details
General Admission pass provides you with access to both days of DCD Connect | Virginia on November 3-4 at the Lansdowne Resort & Spa.
You can schedule meetings through the event app and scan leads directly at the event.
Complimentary food & beverages are provided throughout the event. -
Vendor Pass
Includes access to
Connect | Virginia
For technology vendors, service vendors, resellers and recruiters.
Who qualifies?
✅ Technology or Service Vendors
✅ Resellers
✅ Recruitment Firms
Extra details
This pass provides you with access to both days of DCD Connect | Virginia on November 3-4 at the Lansdowne Resort & Spa.
You have access to all of the open sessions and networking, and have the ability to schedule meetings through the event app and scan leads directly at the event.
Purchasing multiple Vendor passes If you wish to purchase multiple passes for your team, event sponsorship could provide you more value, as all of our packages include passes for your team members and enhanced access to the event app. Please contact: [email protected] for the best rates.