Bring Your Own Power (BYOP)

Bring Your Own Power (BYOP) is a development model in which a data center developer or tenant supplies its own generation. It does so rather than waiting for a utility grid connection, using sources such as on-site gas turbines, fuel cells or a dedicated renewable contract. It has grown as interconnection queues in major markets stretch to four to seven years for loads above 100 MW. Typical set-ups run on-site generation as primary power with the grid as backup, or the reverse, and are often paired with batteries to smooth load. The trade-off is higher energy cost and permitting for emissions, set against speed to market. Regulators and utilities increasingly require large loads to fund their own supply or accept curtailment, which makes BYOP a standard option in site selection.