Google Eyes Large ‘Virtual Power Plant’ for Data Centers NYT - Top Stories By: Brad Plumer 22 October 2026 at 12:30 The tech giant is funding one of the nation’s largest “virtual power plants,” which would pay homes and businesses to adjust their energy use when grids are strained. © Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service, via Getty ImagesA Google data center in Nevada.