Fascinating episode of Shift Key podcast on data centers and energy demand. Robinson Meyer interviews Peter Freed (former director of energy strategy at Meta from 2014 to 2024), who seems to be both knowledgeable and thoughtful on the subject. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

Aaron Smith's EI blog reminds us that the details matter for full impact of enviro regulation. Mandate for "sustainable" aviation fuel will cannibalize renewable diesel for ground transport. Small incremental renewable fuel use, very small enviro benefit. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/02/23/h...

NYT article does a good job of covering part of the story. Data centers could drive up power bills, but they could also drive them down if policymakers respond with smart requirements. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/c... energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/w...

Conclusion of NY Fed economists is same as vast majority of econ research over many decades when tariffs were promoted by the left. The Econ research hasn't wavered. Hassett and other formerly conservative politicos have just found MAGA religion. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Really nice quick overview of the grid scale solar market in Texas from the Dallas Fed. Recognizes the constraints of solar and also the incredibly low costs. www.dallasfed.org/research/eco...

Actually gas from Gulf Coast transshipped through Bahamas to evade self-defeating restrictions of Jones Act. CA is going to lose refineries as we ramp down gasoline. Need lower trade frictions to smooth the transition. Fed govt could make that happen, but won't. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

What's so disturbing is not DOD & FAA got wires crossed - which could happen under any administration - but that this admin went straight to an unfounded narrative, rather than investigating what went wrong. That's how mistakes become catastrophic accidents. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/u...

How can anyone read this and not realize that the US president is a deranged, lying, mob boss? 🍁✊ www.bbc.com/news/article...

A must read if you follow cap and trade markets. Jim Bushnell discusses what investors know, or think they know, that is keeping CA allowance prices so low. An important puzzle given very low probability that CA emissions will drop as fast as the cap. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/02/09/w...

Even if "staffer" posted the racist video of the Obamas "erroneously": trump has refused to apologize or acknowledge a problem, while press secretary - idiot attack dog Karoline Leavitt - called response "fake outrage". This is the moral compass of trump and minions. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...

Interesting update on impact of Venezuelan and other crude production changes on North America markets, and a lot of chatter about new pipelines to reoptimize the system. Some pipelines have already started, but hard to know whether the others are serious plans. www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-...

The US is in, and now attempting to bully the rest of the world into, a dis-enlightenment period, when decisions are made based on superstition and allegiance to tribe, rather than evidence. Mostly, but not completely from the right, eg, anti-GMO movement. www.npr.org/2026/01/30/g...

Dark red line along the bottom of graph is CA, the place some misinformed folks say has expensive elec due to all its wind, solar, and batteries. (Counting RA cost doesn't chg the story) Our high rates pay for response to what climate change is already doing: wildfires. www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...

CAISO gets the best grade again, but still room for improvement. Nonetheless, it's nice to see recognition of the improvements that the great team at CAISO has made. cleanenergygrid.org/wp-content/u...

In EI blog, Duncan Callaway, Emilia Chojkiewicz & Amol Phadke analyze v exciting idea: use complementary demand and supply patterns of existing gas peakers w new data centers, renewables & batteries for fast interconnection under existing grid agreements. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/a...

Somewhat reassuring to see the bitcoin Ponzi scheme partially unravel over the last few months (down 40%), and particularly over the last week, but trump likely to boost it through statements or government bailout. www.coindesk.com/price/bitcoin

NY Times Wirecutter has a nice explainer on choosing the right LED bulb for your needs. www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...

New chapter in the Trump kleptocracy: suing the government and having his own appointees settle the case by paying him off. If no one can sue sitting POTUS, shouldn't he be required to postpone his lawsuits until he leaves office? www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/b...

Artic freeze across the county briefly sent nat gas prices to new all-time spot record at Henry Hub on Monday, above $30/MMBTU. Then dropped by more than half. Front month futures remained below $4. Storage and supply constraints. naturalgasintel.com/news/henry-h...

I understand, and agree with, requiring large loads to do long-term power purchases, rather than stick that risk on other ratepayers. But I don't see how an emergency auction is necessary or helpful. Aren't long-term PPAs fairly bespoke not generic? www.wsj.com/business/ene...

My new post in Energy Inst blog disputes common narrative of a national elec affordability crisis. Or that price increases reflect the same drivers. Inflation-adj US average rates have changed little in last decade, but some states have been big outliers. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/l...

I'm going to resume posting about energy tomorrow. But first I need to recognize the murder of Alex Pretti, the lies from ICE/DHS, and the blatant cover up by excluding Minnesota law enforcement from investigation. Watch the videos. Please don't look away. Our country depends on it.

Hard to focus on energy policy when most powerful person on the planet is so corrupt, petty, insecure, narcissitic and unhinged. The abuse of power, internally and externally, by this administration will harm people across the world for decades. www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative's Alumni Gala is coming up on January 30. I'll be there, as always, to auction off the donated items (including lunch with me). Don't miss this great opportunity to catch up with old friends and network with new ones. www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-berc-...

Carbon-free, dispatchable nuclear power should be part of decarb debate, but we need a clear-eyed view of pros and cons of all options. Meredith Fowlie discusses the waste management issue in the Energy Institute blog today. Then there's the cost issue. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/t...

The Energy Institute at Haas is looking for a new Associate Director to fill unfillable shoes when Karen Notsund retires in June. The AD manages financial and research admin, participates in policy outreach, and helps build the EI community. Info at haas.berkeley.edu/energy-insti...

It's almost as if Trump is unaware of the history of colonialism. Even the oil companies don't seem that excited about making huge investments under these conditions. www.ft.com/content/b395... www.ft.com/content/08ca...

Problem with claim that Venezuela news may drive up oil prices in short run but increase supply in long run: traders in futures market don't believe it. Yesterday and today, oil prices effectively unchanged for both prompt delivery and many years out. www.ft.com/content/4a21...

Physically sickening to see the White House website defiled with lies about what happened on January 6. Republican politicians know what really happened and said so on 1/6/21. Now too cowardly to speak up. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/u... www.whitehouse.gov/j6/

Well, it's complicated, isn't it. www.sltrib.com/opinion/bagl...

In the EI blog today, Lucas Davis explains why the trump admin's proposal to abandon tradability across firms will make auto fuel economy standards less effective and more expensive. Doesn't look conservative or populist to me, just dumb. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2026/01/05/t...

John List has a disturbing LinkedIn post on the job market for economists. Between trump's attack on university/research and his destruction of the government infrastructure for managing and evaluating policy, big hit on economics hiring. www.linkedin.com/posts/johnal...

United CEO says brand loyalty is their secret sauce. That comes more from customer lock-in than good UA service. Flyers better off if airlines compete on each route, not networks. onemileatatime.com/news/united-... faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/dow... faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/borenste/dow...

Pretty exciting news that Amazon is using AI to reduce its total energy use. Makes sense. I hope it will expand to focus on shifting electricity use out of the most constrained hours. www.utilitydive.com/news/amazon-...

This is an increasingly challenging problem as the distinction between loads and generation grows murkier. I think economics teaches us that the key will be to make sure new facilities pay at least the incremental cost of the services they receive. www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pj...

Less than 24hrs after a mass shooting, the leadership in Australia is having a serious conversation about how to strengthen already strict gun safety laws. Such a stark contrast to our NRA driven discourse here.

Interesting that EIA is seeing slower growth of large load aggregate demand , but that is a poor indicator of grid strain. Need to understand peak demand relative to available supply, some of which is intermittent. www.utilitydive.com/news/energy-...

And in closely related news www.opis.com/resources/en...

Traveling last week and way behind on posts. Start with Aaron Smith's excellent EI blog explaining why California raising allowed ethanol content in gas from 10% to 15% won't save drivers money, despite study funded by Renewable Fuels Association study. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/12/08/c...

And in related news www.kqed.org/science/1999...

In this week's Energy Institute blog, Max Auffhammer's highly entertaining and also very serious take on redesigning electricity bills so customers can actually understand them. An important step in enabling demand flexibility. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/a...

Unfortunate, but common, misinterpretation of grid data. Total hours California's grid has run without natural gas since 2019 is zero. Some hours when renewables>demand, but much exported. FOR NOW, still need gas to balance the system. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/02/cali... 💡🔌

Very interesting episode of the Shift Key podcast on what AI boom is doing to clean energy and what might happen if it is a bubble that leaves bankrupt data center companies and potentially unused grid capacity. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 🔌💡

Dallas Burtraw at @rff.org has an excellent explainer on the climate and energy bills that passed the California legislature and were signed by Gov. Newsom in September. No blog could cover all the critical details, but Dallas hits the major points. www.resources.org/common-resou...

Excellent article in FT on the problem of Phantom data centers making it difficult for utilities and grid operators to plan, and some of the solutions. I think gift link (on.ft.com/4otkC25) works only for first 3 who use it. Sorry. www.ft.com/content/331f... 🔌💡

Good update on Kinder Morgan plans for expanding refined product distributions to Arizona, California, and Nevada. This would be a benefit to producers and customers, but not clear there is enough value to shippers for the investment. stillwaterassociates.com/open-season-... 🔌💡

The fact that this threat from Trump is not the lead story on all US news sources speaks to how much our democracy is endangered. Between the unlimited protection SCOTUS has given him and his ability to pardon anyone who follows through on his threat, all who speak up are now in danger.

An important, and discouraging, reminder that innovation continues in the fossil fuel industries as well as in renewables. Cheap oil and gas remains a major barrier to decarbonization . www.eia.gov/todayinenerg... 🔌💡

In this week's Energy Institute blog, Andy Campbell digs into the debate over how to use money from California's cap and trade auctions to support clean energy and electrification. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/c... 🔌💡

Update on California's Mystery Gasoline Surcharge: holding steady around $0.50 per gallon. In last 6 weeks, however, mostly due to higher spot prices, not downstream margins. Worrisome given one recent and one impending refinery closure. For context: energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/08/18/c...