Energy & Climate News

Energy & Climate

Google and SpaceX in Talks to Launch AI Data Centers Into Orbit

Google is in active negotiations with SpaceX to put AI compute infrastructure into orbit — a move that could reshape who controls the physical layer of AI.

Hector Herrera · May 14, 2026 · 3 min read

Energy & Climate

AI and Renewables Are Driving the Same Power Surge — and Each Other

AI's energy demand is accelerating renewable buildout through hyperscaler procurement commitments — but the feedback loop is policy-dependent and could reverse if clean-energy matching requirements aren't enforced.

Hector Herrera · May 12, 2026 · 5 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Is Funding Renewable Energy — and Overwhelming the Grid That Delivers It

AI data center demand is funding renewable energy projects at record pace — and simultaneously overwhelming the transmission infrastructure needed to deliver that power.

Hector Herrera · May 11, 2026 · 5 min read

Energy & Climate

Microsoft May Shelve 2030 Clean Energy Target as AI Data Centers Outpace Renewable Deployment

Microsoft is weighing whether to abandon its 2030 goal of matching 100% of its electricity with carbon-free energy on an hourly basis, as AI data center demand outpaces renewable deployment.

Hector Herrera · May 10, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

Microsoft May Walk Back Its 2030 Clean Energy Pledge. AI Power Demand Made It Untenable.

Microsoft is internally reviewing whether to abandon its 2030 clean energy commitment as AI data center expansion has pushed power demand far beyond what its renewable procurement pipeline can cover.

Hector Herrera · May 8, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

PJM CEO Says America's Largest Grid Needs a Fundamental Redesign to Survive the AI Boom

The CEO of PJM Interconnection — which manages electricity for 65 million people across 13 states — says the U.S. grid needs a fundamental structural redesign, not upgrades, to absorb AI-driven data center demand.

Hector Herrera · May 8, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

Europe's Power Grid Cannot Keep Pace With Exploding AI Data Center Demand

Europe's electricity grid faces a structural inability to meet AI data center demand, with interconnection queues stretching 3–5 years and aging cross-border infrastructure threatening both AI competitiveness and 2030 climate targets.

Hector Herrera · May 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Data Centers and Renewables Are Driving the Biggest Electricity Demand Surge in Decades

AI data centers are projected to account for 55% of all U.S. electricity demand growth over the next five years — and renewables are the only generation technology that can keep pace.

Hector Herrera · May 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Data Centers Are Consuming Power Like Small Cities. Utilities Weren't Ready.

AI data centers are adding grid loads equivalent to mid-sized cities while simultaneously becoming the largest driver of new renewable energy procurement globally — forcing utilities to rethink decades-long planning timelines.

Hector Herrera · May 5, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

NVIDIA and Emerald AI Build AI Data Centers That Double as Flexible Power Grid Assets

NVIDIA and Emerald AI are building data centers engineered to scale compute loads up or down on grid operator command, turning AI's electricity appetite into a grid stability tool.

Hector Herrera · May 4, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Data Centers Will Drive 55% of U.S. Electricity Demand Growth Through 2050

A new U.S. energy outlook projects AI data centers will account for 55% of all electricity demand growth through 2050 — stressing the grid while paradoxically accelerating the renewable energy build-out as hyperscalers buy clean power at scale.

Hector Herrera · May 2, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Data Centers Could Account for 55% of U.S. Electricity Demand Growth Over Five Years

AI data centers are projected to consume 1,050 TWh globally by end of 2026—potentially ranking as the world's fifth-largest national energy user—while U.S. grid interconnection queues stretch three to five years.

Hector Herrera · May 1, 2026 · 5 min read

Energy & Climate

AI's Soaring Power Appetite Is Quietly Undermining Corporate Climate Pledges

Data centers are projected to account for 55% of all US electricity demand growth over five years — and AI is the primary driver. A Carbon Direct analysis finds corporate climate commitments are structurally lagging behind AI's energy footprint.

Hector Herrera · Apr 30, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

Space Solar and Multi-Day Storage: The Only Grid Solutions Built for AI's Energy Appetite

U.S. data centers will drive 55% of new electricity demand growth over five years. Researchers say conventional grid expansion can't keep pace — and space solar plus multi-day storage may be the only answer.

Hector Herrera · Apr 29, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Model Trained on 13,000 Simulated Worlds Produces New Projections for Global Renewable Buildout

Researchers trained an AI across 13,000 virtual energy systems to produce the most constraint-aware renewable energy projections yet — a new planning tool for energy policymakers and investors.

Hector Herrera · Apr 28, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

AI's Power Problem: 2,500 Gigawatts Stuck in Grid Queue as Solutions Go Unbuilt

Workable solutions to AI's power grid strain exist — but permitting bottlenecks, eliminated tax credits, and political obstacles are blocking 2,500 gigawatts of energy projects worldwide.

Hector Herrera · Apr 26, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

Bloom Energy and Oracle Are Building On-Site AI Power Plants to Bypass a Broken Grid

Oracle contracted 2.8 gigawatts from Bloom Energy's fuel cells because the grid interconnection queue is too slow—a structural shift that is turning hyperscalers into their own utilities.

Hector Herrera · Apr 23, 2026 · 5 min read

Energy & Climate

Oracle and Bloom Energy Ink 2.8 GW Deal to Power AI Data Centers with Off-Grid Fuel Cells

Oracle has contracted up to 2.8 gigawatts of power from Bloom Energy's stationary fuel cells for AI data centers — bypassing utility interconnection queues that average four years and establishing off-grid power as a mainstream AI infrastructure strategy.

Hector Herrera · Apr 22, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

AI Climate Model Predicts World Will Miss 1.5°C Target Even Under Optimistic Renewable Scenarios

A new AI model built to analyze global wind and solar deployment trajectories has concluded that even the most optimistic projections still align with a 2°C warming pathway — not the 1.5°C target the world committed to.

Hector Herrera · Apr 21, 2026 · 4 min read

Energy & Climate

Bloom Energy and Oracle Are Building AI Data Centers That Bypass the Power Grid

Bloom Energy and Oracle have partnered to supply AI data centers with on-site fuel cell power — deployable in weeks, not years. Bloom shares surged 15% on news that the deal sidesteps grid bottlenecks blocking AI compute expansion.

Hector Herrera · Apr 20, 2026 · 3 min read