More info here: www.pjm.com/committees-a...
"An expert in power systems" -NYTimes | J.B. Duke Fellow, PhDing @DukeU | Fmr: SPGlobal, USDOE, Cypress Creek Renewables | Stanford alumn Substack: http://powerpolicy.net Use 🔌💡 in posts for #energysky
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More info here: www.pjm.com/committees-a...
Coverage of PJM’s non-firm service proposal for large loads has missed the mark, casting stakeholder pushback as “opposition” to demand response, when the primary objections are to PJM’s mandatory approach. I count at least 17 stakeholders expressing interest in modernized demand response.
Congrats to @aoc.bsky.social's team on getting this passed! #energysky #greensky 🔌💡 ocasio-cortez.house.gov/media/press-...
It's been 7 months since @tnorris.bsky.social's report on flexible data centers dropped, making a major splash in the energy and AI worlds. But how far have we really come on flexibility? On Friday I'm sitting down for a live interview with Tyler to take stock: www.latitudemedia.com/events/the-r...
Hosted by @latitudemedia.bsky.social this Friday 1pm ET: #energysky #greensky 🔌💡 www.latitudemedia.com/events/the-r...
@tnorris.bsky.social on why narratives about data center power demand are making it appear more constant & closer to full capacity than it actually is. Getting this right is key to heading off overbuild of generation and grid infrastructure. Big implications for climate, electricity rates and more.
In a new interview, Iron Mountain Data Centers says it’s deploying battery storage at 100% nameplate capacity of its New Jersey data center “so we can totally shed the load of the data center.” “We’re going to see a lot more of this.” #greensky #energysky 🔌💡 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
#energysky #greensky 🔌💡
Three new pieces on data center flex: 1️⃣ @jeffstjohn.bsky.social on Google’s deals www.canarymedia.com/articles/uti... 2️⃣ Shayle Kann w/ Varun Sivaram on mechanics of DC flex www.latitudemedia.com/news/catalys... 3️⃣ Reg dimensions in George Wash. Law Review insideclimatenews.org/news/2808202...
This is a real photograph of Washington, DC this week, where the United States president has ordered military occupation in peacetime, and ordered the display of colossal portraits of himself. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Wow
We are in very dark times. It’ll take an entire political/social movement, an overwhelming rebuke at the polls, and a new vision of governance to unstick this country from whatever this collapse is.
This is why this statement today from a state commissioner in the NYT should be taken seriously — yes, the admin’s efforts to stop or materially delay these projects increases reliability risk. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/c...
Offshore wind has higher capacity value than gas CTs, according to PJM. So when the Trump admin claims offshore wind makes no contribution to resource adequacy/reliability, it's lying. #energysky #greensky www.pjm.com/-/media/DotC...
Today is different. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/america-ti...
Significant
This is 100% correct.
I am sounding the alarm on the real crisis we face today. Donald Trump’s overreach is what our founders warned against – it is unprecedented, unwarranted, and un-American. There’s no emergency here that calls for military intervention.
Walz: "It boggles my damn mind that in the midst of a military takeover of our cities, the flaunting of the rule of law, that the press finds the need to talk about, 'Oh, there's a division in the Dem Party.' There's a division in my damn house & we're still married and things are good. That's life"
Today's executive order calling for "a standing National Guard quick reaction force that shall be resourced, trained, and available for rapid nationwide deployment" seems like a setup for a 100% Trump-controlled military force to be used against domestic enemies. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
I haven't seen it emphasized enough, but it's important to take a step back from Trump's ongoing seizure of autocratic power to see it's all emergency politics. All of it. The Constitution is being suspended bit by bit the same way autocrats have always eliminated them: declaring fake emergencies.
So this is the President of the United States reacting to being criticized by saying we should revive a defunct and well outside the statute of limitations criminal investigation against the person offering the criticism.
Extremely alarming. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/o...
Trump: “If I have a national emergency, I can keep the troops there as long as I want.”
By default, power system planners generally assume all new load is 100% inflexible for the purpose of system planning (i.e. for grid planning and reserve margin planning) open.substack.com/pub/powerpol...
The primary driver of mass US gas capacity expansion right now is the assumption that new loads are 100% inflexible, and therefore trigger the need for new firm capacity… www.linkedin.com/posts/tylerh...
The query is, if they’re operating at relatively low capacity utilization rates, is it possible to plan around a very small share of that non-utilization (~0.25% of max potential annual uptime) to mitigate the need for major network upgrades and new peaking capacity? www.linkedin.com/posts/tylerh...
Seems very unlikely there will be gigawatt+ scale DCs committed solely to training, since generally the only way to monetize the GPUs is via inference… could be some limited exceptions though
It links to this: bsky.app/profile/tnor...
Here’s the perspective of @astridatkinson.bsky.social, who used to work on compute resource optimization at Google: www.linkedin.com/posts/tylerh...
Even AI-specialized data centers won’t operate anywhere close to 100% capacity utilization. If they’re wholly dedicated to training they might get to 70-80%, but we’re not aware of any data centers planned solely for training. www.powerpolicy.net/p/the-puzzle...
Positive to see this clarification finally breaking through 🔌💡 mailchi.mp/theadhocgrou...
I’ve honestly been surprised too - lots of energytwitter folks have stayed engaged there (despite some of our attempts to get more people to transition here…)
I tried as much as anyone I know to get energysky off the ground, and it was strong for the first few months, but I get much less engagement on it now than on LinkedIn and X (including substantive engagement)… will keep trying though!
Good to see the DCC take a position that creates an opening for more data centers to consider load flexibility - and for utilities to offer faster time-to-power for companies that participate.
Data Center Coalition states that it now supports introduction of large load flexibility programs, provided they're voluntary - filed today in NC Utility Commission's large load technical conference docket: 🔌💡 starw1.ncuc.gov/NCUC/ViewFil...
“But faced with a power crunch, data center developers are exploring whether everyone would be better served if they didn’t require quite so much juice all the time.” 🔌💡 www.eenews.net/articles/how...
So grateful for our spectacularly beautiful National Parks, and all those who’ve preserved them. Cheers from the North Cascades! (Yes that’s the true water color.)
Can low energy prices and lots of data centers coexist? Load flexibility could be the answer. More from @zeitlin.bsky.social below, feat. @charlesxhua.bsky.social and @tnorris.bsky.social.
Excellent coverage today on the load flexibility groundswell @heatmap.news @zeitlin.bsky.social 🔌💡 heatmap.news/energy/ai-fl...
That means a great deal coming from you, Severin!
@tnorris.bsky.social is one of the most insightful and creative people thinking about the impact of data centers on the grid these days. His work suggests that this is a very solvable problem, primarily through demand flexibility. www.powerpolicy.net/p/the-puzzle...
Scoop: The Trump administration on Friday sent letters to wind energy developers indicating a crackdown under bird protection laws is imminent They’re targeting wind projects using the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, with six-figure fines and jail time for violations Via @heatmap.news
I said yes and it shut itself down! Kidding - it finally got it right on the next try:
Not great
Yuval Noah Harari on Trumpism - in his latest book, “Nexus”
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
246 people died in Winter Storm Uri, w/ many residences shut off while large industrial loads nearby were untouched. “That can never, ever happen again," TX state Sen. King (R-10) told the Post, who co-authored TX' new law (SB6) requiring curtailment of hyperscale loads during emergencies.
There is so much…noise…about data center 24/7 energy needs and usage, which turns out to be wrong. There are lots of incentives to be wrong about all of this. @tnorris.bsky.social is doing fabulous work cutting through it all and resetting the discussion. www.powerpolicy.net/p/the-puzzle...
Really good point, and I realized I should add this alongside general over-sizing for future optionality, which I've done here:
One of the biggest puzzles I’ve run into in the data center world: why is there widespread perception that data centers operate 24/7/365 at near-maximum demand, when their actual utilization appears significantly lower? I unpack this in my latest post: 🔌💡 www.powerpolicy.net/p/the-puzzle...
I'm speaking on this joint NASEO-NARUC webinar tomorrow - join us! 🔌💡 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
@tnorris.bsky.social, author of a key paper on data centers' potential use of flexible demand, provides reasons to celebrate the Google announcement, e.g., potentially sizable savings for ratepayers. And cautionary notes, e.g., challenges posed by lack of clear incentives or regulatory guidelines.
Big, welcome, data center and energy news from Google. My version: Data Center CEO ‘I must have 24/7, my way’ World ‘ok, 4 or 5 years. Maybe.’ Data Center CEO ‘tell me about that flex stuff and that @tnorris.bsky.social paper I keep hearing about’ www.powerpolicy.net/p/googles-bi...
Google’s new flexibility agreements establish official precedent for definitive long-term contractual arrangements between data centers, utilities, and ISO/RTOs to "enable larger scale demand flexibility,” per Google’s release. It's a big deal. 🔌💡 #energysky www.powerpolicy.net/p/googles-bi...
Michael Terrell's post: www.linkedin.com/posts/michae... Google release: blog.google/inside-googl...
What makes Google's data center flex announcement today so notable, IMO: 🔌💡 1) 1st known utility contracts on AI DC flexibility 2) 1st incorporation into utility planning 3) 1st use of ML workloads for flexibility 4) Definitive, long-term contracts 5) Flex applies during certain hrs/times of year
The UK’s next nuclear project will be the world’s most expensive power plant ever built, in absolute and $/kW terms. www.ft.com/content/5f54...
it is insane that we're watching utilities invest over $1t in infrastructure largely to support large corporate data centers while families' electricity bills go up rather than slow down and look at the opportunities for flexibility that could save many billions.
Today’s top @economist.com story: www.economist.com/business/202...
He apparently thinks solar doesn’t perform well on hot summer days (among other reasons discussed briefly in the post)
One of the most extreme maneuvers by a state PUC commissioner I’ve seen just happened, seeking to block a major late-stage solar project that's *already* procured under the PUC resource plan. I explain here with a former NC utility commissioner, Steve Levitas: 🔌💡 www.powerpolicy.net/p/nc-commiss...
If you read only one thing today please make it this, by the great Vanita Gupta You May Not Be Trump’s Target This Time. But You Could Be Next www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/o...
Today's Washington Post: "The AI explosion means millions are paying more for electricity" www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
This heat wave in central NC is one of the worst I can recall... we're under extreme heat warning and it's nearly unbearable to be outside for more than a few minutes.
Over 3,000 national lab scientists & staff now face layoffs amid the Trump admin's efforts to dismantle US research and development capacity. www.eenews.net/articles/doe...
I think the hardest part for the climate left over these coming years will be the growing acuteness of our global crisis, without the social license to make policy on climate grounds in most parts of the country and probably also at the federal level. (1/2) 🔌💡
www.powerpolicy.net/p/data-cente...
"The next wave of energy politics will be centered around affordability," @jessedjenkins.com @janeaflegal.bsky.social told Ezra Klein. Big opportunity for savings: if new data centers can be planned intelligently (a big if), it could offset up to ~$50 bn/yr in existing power costs by late 2020s. 🔌💡
Turn the problem of how much energy data centers need to the solution of when they need it and everyone wins. Or, ignore the data and the facts and everyone loses. “Data Centers Could Make or Break Electricity Affordability” @tnorris.bsky.social www.powerpolicy.net/p/data-cente...
Duke Energy says it has new performance requirements for large loads, including "mandated interruptible requirements for a specified period of time," in a filing yesterday to the NC Utilities Commission: 🔌💡 starw1.ncuc.gov/NCUC/ViewFil...
🙏
If you aren't following already you should sign up for @tnorris.bsky.social Substack www.powerpolicy.net?r=2sd59&utm_...
The other great thing about this clip is how clear it is that Powell doesn’t respect Trump in the slightest and has no intention of participating in any emperor’s new clothes nonsense. It’s weirdly refreshing since Trump surrounds himself with sycophants and our press largely humors them.
🙏
Good read from @tnorris.bsky.social about the role of data centers in grid capacity and ratepayer economics, and strategies that could improve the current AI demand logjam. www.powerpolicy.net/p/data-cente...
With cites to @costasamaras.com @volts.wtf @techjournalism.bsky.social @brianjanous.bsky.social @douglewin.bsky.social et al.
3/ LBNL projects up to 580 TWh in U.S. data center use by 2028. At 13.2¢/kWh, that’s roughly $50 billion/year toward fixed grid costs - if integrated flexibly. More in my new post here: www.powerpolicy.net/p/data-cente...
2/ Paradoxically, data centers could ease rate spikes, if we plan for them intelligently. It’s not how much power they use, but when. Peaks drive capacity prices, upgrades & energy costs. A little flexibility during grid stress hours can cut system-wide costs significantly.
1/ 🧵 The largest US power market just posted the highest capacity price in its history - and soaring data center demand is the “primary reason,” per PJM's market monitor. “Virtually every trend is setting us up for electricity price spikes,” writes @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social today @heatmap.news 🔌💡
To further appreciate why this matters, see Robinson's latest, "The Electricity Affordability Crisis Is Coming"... bsky.app/profile/robi...
Data centers, ironically, could be one of the best tools to ease electricity rate spikes, *if* they can be flexible to mitigate need for mass infrastructure build & spread existing fixed costs - a topic the CO PUC chair, Kavulla and I also discussed recently (12:42): www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiDL...
h/t @waldoch.bsky.social
"The current conditions in [PJM's] capacity market are almost entirely the result of large load additions from data centers" -Independent Market Monitor for PJM, June 2025 🔌💡 www.monitoringanalytics.com/reports/repo...
New report drop: Brattle + Clean Air Task Force just released a must-read on optimizing grid infrastructure to meet load growth, with a treasure trove of actionable ideas. 🔌💡 www.catf.us/resource/opt...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
On the Trump admin requiring Secretary-level approval of renewable project permits, via Jason Grumet on @politico.com energy pod:
The biggest "permitting" obstacle to new US power gen is arguably our restrictive interconnection rules outside ERCOT. I discussed w/ Travis Kavulla and Colorado PUC Chair here: (17:58): www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiDL...
Backlash against data center-driven electricity costs appears to be growing. Here is Maryland's People's Counsel (appointed by state AG) in the Baltimore Sun: www.baltimoresun.com/2025/07/07/m...
Imagine becoming Secretary of Energy only to be told you’re now the chief marketing officer for coal
When @jigarshahdc.bsky.social is this fired up, watch out
Well said. Texas especially instructive given their legacy of Winter Storm Uri, where they had whole residential districts shut off while large industrial loads were humming along untouched just a few miles away
Weird political economy stuff happening here. IL and MI have swung and missed. TX and OH have policy on the books. This policy/political space is evolving fast. Don't assume your priors are correct.
Rapid evolution of hyperscale electricity load regulation is happening right now. Yes, state legislatures and PUCs can act! 🔌💡 www.eenews.net/articles/rul...
The Senate just posted the report language of its FY26 science appropriations bill. This text lays out what they want done and carries the force of law if it is included in the final spending bill. It's a line-by-line refutation of Trump's proposed budget for NASA and NOAA.
The language was included in the broader FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations Act: docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/...
The full US House Appropriations Committee just passed a bill directing DOE to evaluate potential for data center & large load flexibility. When GOP & Dems can't agree on much, this is a promising exception. 🔌💡
Mass layoffs in affordable energy will cause project delays and cancellations, while we cede ground to China. It is a Big Beautiful Betrayal of the American people.
