The Big Sip
Image: https://www.sunation.com/
The take: The energy transition isn't about going green. It's about keeping your Netflix from buffering while tech companies eat the grid for breakfast.
What happened: Data centers, EVs, and reshored factories pushed electricity demand to decades-high levels, forcing utilities to choose between fast-but-intermittent renewables and slow-but-steady baseload power.
Why it matters: Your monthly power bill now subsidizes an infrastructure race where demand surges at Formula 1 speeds, while supply crawls along at rush-hour traffic pace.
What to watch: Q1 2026 earnings calls when utilities announce rate hike requests to fund grid upgrades they should've started five years ago.
Reciepts
• [Primary] DOE Section 202(c) emergency order for PJM (Aug 28–Nov 26, 2025). The Department of Energy's
• [Report] IEA: data-center electricity demand set to more than double by 2030 (10 Apr 2025). IEA
• [Analysis] Reuters: Texas & California are widening the U.S. clean-power lead (19 Sep 2025). Reuters
• [Counter] Amperon: ERCOT’s “surprisingly quiet” summer shows conditions vary by region (22 Jul 2025). Amperon
We're installing solar panels on a grid built for coal plants. Would you put a Ferrari engine in a horse carriage?