Partners Group is championing a hybrid approach to meet surging US electricity demand: co-locating solar and battery storage with existing natural gas generation facilities. According to the firm's infrastructure experts Andre Burba and Patrick Langan, this strategy offers lower costs compared to building new standalone projects while accelerating timelines.

The co-location model taps into existing gas plants' interconnection points and transmission infrastructure, avoiding the lengthy permitting delays that plague greenfield developments. This advantage has become increasingly critical as US electricity demand climbs from data center growth, reshoring manufacturing, and electric vehicle adoption.

The hybrid approach also provides dispatchable power—solar and batteries can supplement gas generation during peak demand periods while the existing infrastructure ensures reliability. This addresses a key challenge in the energy transition: balancing decarbonization goals with the need for consistent, on-demand power generation.