DataBank Senior Director of Sustainability Jenny Gerson joined Boulder/Denver local news program Studio Twelve for a wide-ranging conversation on what’s driving data center growth, how the industry is evolving, and why some of the most common concerns about data centers don’t tell the full story.
Gerson explains that demand starts with all of us — every digital experience, streaming session, and AI interaction requires physical infrastructure somewhere. AI has significantly accelerated that demand, but the underlying drivers are deeply embedded in how people live and work today.
On grid capacity, she offers an important distinction: the challenge isn’t a shortage of power so much as the ability to transmit it where it’s needed. Utilities plan for peak demand days, which means available capacity exists — getting it to the right place is the real constraint.
“The grid isn’t running out of power. The challenge is getting that power to where it’s needed. That’s a transmission problem, not a generation problem.”
— Jenny Gerson, Senior Director of Sustainability, DataBank
Gerson traces the evolution of cooling technology from traditional air conditioning to evaporative cooling to today’s closed-loop systems. She pushes back on water usage concerns, noting that agriculture, golf courses, and vineyards consume significantly more water than data centers.
On resilience, she expresses particular enthusiasm for battery storage systems. Beyond backup power, batteries can shave peak demand from the grid and, when connected at scale, function as a virtual power plant — an innovation she sees as one of the most promising developments on the horizon.
Watch the full interview at Studio Twelve.
