Tesla Inc, Sunrun Inc and Renew Home announced on Wednesday a partnership to create a virtual power plant, a network of distributed energy devices such as batteries, thermostats and solar systems, to free up enough electrical capacity to support the equivalent of 17 large data centers during periods of peak demand. After consumers opt in, software could charge home batteries when solar energy is abundant and discharge that power later when electricity demand spikes. Sunrun CEO Mary Powell told The New York Times that utility-scale energy projects take years to build, while distributed residential systems can provide immediate capacity. The push comes as Goldman Sachs estimates global data center electricity demand could surge 220% by 2030, rising by 905 terawatt-hours to 1,350 TWh, with roughly 60% of new demand expected from the U.S. At least 75 U.S. data center projects worth about $130 billion were blocked or delayed in the first quarter of 2026 amid concerns over electricity use, water consumption, land use and rising utility bills. Earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tesla aims to produce 100 gigawatts of solar cells annually to help power AI data centers. Shares of Sunrun Inc. closed Tuesday at $12.81, down 5.95%, but surged 22.19% in premarket trading on Wednesday to $15.65. Shares of Tesla Inc. closed Tuesday at $381.61, down 5.79%, and rose 0.