In this episode, James talks with Gabe Messercola, Director of Data Center Solutions at EDF. Gabe shares his journey from studying environmental policy and working as a rock climbing instructor to building renewable energy projects at Nexamp and leading innovative data center strategies at EDF. With deep experience in asset management and power markets, Gabe now focuses on aligning renewable generation with high-demand loads like data centers and flexible industrial users.

They discuss the evolving relationship between renewables, load growth, and AI-driven data center demand. Gabe explains how EDF is solving curtailment and congestion challenges by co-locating load at underutilized wind and solar sites. He highlights EDF's work with Soluna on a 166 MW behind-the-meter data center and dives into the regulatory, technical, and financial structures enabling this model. The conversation also tackles the critical role of market incentives, competitive retail, and grid flexibility to unlock fast deployment and sustainable scale.

• How co-located data centers are unlocking value from stranded renewable assets
• The ERCOT PUN model and its role in hybrid project design
• The tension between AI uptime requirements and grid flexibility
• Why competitive retail markets like Texas are leading clean energy innovation

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of data centers, clean energy, and infrastructure innovation.

Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?