Power Planning Is Now Real Estate Planning: Why Data Centers Are Redefining Site Value

In this episode of The Real Finds Podcast, host Gordon Lamphere sits down with Pete DiSanto, a marine engineer turned microgrid and energy infrastructure expert, to unpack one of the most pressing challenges in commercial real estate today: how power access, not just location, is becoming the ultimate driver of site value.

As data centers evolve into the physical engine rooms of the global digital economy, the development process has flipped. It’s no longer just about zoning, broadband, or fiber—it’s about securing scalable, resilient energy access. In today’s grid-constrained environment, interconnection delays of 3–7 years are not uncommon. Pete explains why traditional assumptions about utility hookups no longer apply and why “just adding a transformer” is a naïve myth.

👉 Whether you're a real estate developer, private equity investor, or infrastructure fund evaluating potential data center sites, this episode is packed with essential insights on the future of behind-the-meter power, natural gas infrastructure, and microgrid design.

From gas turbines and fuel cells to LNG bridging, small modular nuclear reactors, and evolving redundancy standards, Pete outlines why microgrids like those from Enchanted Rock are no longer a nice-to-have—they’re becoming the gating factor for feasibility, financing, and speed-to-market.

🔋 Key themes covered:

• How interconnection queues have ballooned and what to do about it
• Why utility-grade infrastructure is no longer enough
• Creative solutions for powering sites ahead of grid upgrades
• The new role of natural gas pipelines in real estate underwriting
• What modular nuclear means for the future of clean power

Why the smartest investors are solving for “speed-to-power” before they ever break ground

💡 Power Planning is Now Real Estate Planning. In the race to build scalable data infrastructure, developers can’t afford to ignore the power side of the deal. No energy = no asset. Resilient power isn’t just about uptime, it’s about making land bankable.

As Pete puts it: “You don’t get to take a day off. You either solve the problem or you don’t get home.”

Relevant Resources:

Learn more about industrial real estate development at Van Vlissingen: https://www.vvco.com/industrial-space-in-chicago-buy-sell-lease/

Read our latest market insights on the Van Vlissingen blog: https://www.vvco.com/news/

Work with a Van Vlissingen commercial real estate broker: https://www.vvco.com/contact/

Discover how Enchanted Rock is powering data center resilience with natural gas microgrids: https://enchantedrock.com/

Enchanted Rock microgrids offer flexible, on-site, dispatchable power that meets peak loads without compromising reliability or waiting on grid upgrades. Even better, they’re built to evolve, with dispatchable, on-site power that meets demand today and can later transition into grid support—helping data centers become assets to the grid, not liabilities.