Batteries can firm electrons. But data centers have another resource available: the load itself. On Aurora Energy Research’s latest Energy Unplugged with Oliver Kerr, our venture advisor Arushi S. at Luminary Strategies lays out the emerging architecture for large-load power, which she helped build herself: a firm baseline, conditioned operating headroom, and private tools that make consumption above that baseline dependable. The precise conditions for #AI factories to thrive in the era of inference and smaller footprints for large power users. We are building the native-load layer of that stack. The opportunity is bigger than simply agreeing to curtail. Grid operators need a verifiable performance product: telemetry, controlled withdrawal, defined ramp rates and a bankable flexibility SLA that can be observed directly by the utility or RTO. That matters even when a data center has co-located batteries or generation. Native load control provides the guardrail when those assets cannot solve a system-wide constraint—and can reduce the amount of physical firming required in the first place. Co-location makes flexibility stronger. Emerald AI wmakes it enforceable. Listen: Spotify: https://lnkd.in/giw8FmWa Apple: https://lnkd.in/dtSEGHfM Youtube: https://lnkd.in/ezvYaB8N
In my latest conversation with Oliver Kerr on Aurora Energy Research Energy Unplugged pod, we dive deep into why I run non-traditional venture: to build regulatory market rules at the same time as building companies. At Luminary Strategies, my approach isn't about hunting for existing value in a static market. It’s about building technical policy moats and actively opening the markets where next-generation power infrastructure can thrive. Gone are the days where "regulatory" is the washed up after-hours thought bubble of deep tech founder thinking. This is the front of the unlock, not the back. Any company building in power and energy that thinks otherwise, is going nowhere fast. In this episode, we dig into the foundation moat of SCED-enabled, load dispatch market design for speed to power in ERCOT. It's the bankable solution to flex at the site control, not compromise load, and the key to actually winning utility buy-in for data center flex. The episode covers the origin story, which is uniquely mine to tell. Key takeaways: ⚡ Constructing the Arena: Why private capital needs angels who build in energy/power markets while participating in equity & founder support. ⚡ Parallel Tracks: How driving technical innovation and shaping regulatory design simultaneously unlocks real commercial execution. ⚡ Beyond Traditional VC: Why venture backing in energy must align incentivized private capital with long-term public goods. Catch the full episode and read the commentary here: https://lnkd.in/gscaWCZn Special pod mentions: Emerald AI Agentic Infrastructure V-Wire Lane Dilg Bill Flores, CPA Sheldon Kimber & Luke Dunnington Tesla #Megapack The movie Frozen Jigar Shah