The Vertical Stack Technology Coalition For Near-Zero Emissions PBC (VTCNZE) today proposed a national 'Speed-to-Power' framework aimed at deploying approximately 600 GWh of distributed grid storage within 48 months by adapting the public equity model used under the CHIPS and Science Act. The proposal targets the growing power bottleneck facing AI data centers, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and defense systems.
Under the CHIPS model, the federal government has taken minority, non-controlling equity stakes in strategic technology companies. VTCNZE argues the same taxpayer-aligned approach should apply to energy infrastructure. 'Chips do not matter if America cannot turn them on,' said Max Davis, Founding Architect of VTCNZE, in a statement.
The framework focuses on high-density, load-adjacent, non-lithium energy storage assets deployed on urban industrial parcels, brownfields, and underutilized public land. It would allow federal, state, and municipal entities to take minority equity positions or comparable economic participation rights in qualified projects, with upside tied to the value each government contributes.
'The limiting factor is speed,' Davis said. 'America cannot wait four years for a conventional substation review while AI infrastructure, semiconductor strategy, and national security systems race ahead.'
The proposal responds to data center growth colliding with constrained substations, multi-year interconnection backlogs, and concerns about cost shifting to residential ratepayers. VTCNZE's model would prioritize compact, modular, vertically integrated storage structures that can be deployed faster than conventional horizontal battery farms.
VTCNZE's working target of 600 GWh across major data center and industrial corridors is subject to engineering validation, financing, and site-specific approvals. The company believes the target becomes realistic if the U.S. treats storage deployment as a manufacturing challenge rather than one-off real estate development.
A central component is the 'WIMBY Factor' — Welcome In My Backyard — which ensures communities hosting infrastructure share in the economic upside through municipal equity participation, revenue sharing, or workforce pathways. 'Behind-the-meter cannot mean behind-the-community,' Davis said.
The framework proposes expedited permitting for load-adjacent storage, priority review for high-density projects using safe non-lithium chemistries, and protection of residential ratepayers from cost shifting. VTCNZE sees Illinois and the Chicago region as strong candidates for early pilot evaluation due to existing data center demand and industrial land availability.
'This is not just a clean energy proposal,' Davis said. 'It is an AI strategy, a national security strategy, a ratepayer protection strategy, an industrial policy strategy, and a community wealth strategy.'
More details are available at https://verticalstack.energy.
