Solar, Batteries Dominate New US Power Plants in H1
Solar has dominated a surge in utility-scale projects between January and June, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Of the 368 utility-scale power plants added in the first half of the year, 207 were solar projects with a combined 11,458 megawatts of capacity across 207 projects. Batteries followed with 8,207 megawatts from 95 projects. However, the largest new projects were the SunZia Wind farms in New Mexico. So Much Solar: Digging Into the List of Every US Power Plant That Went Online This Year – Inside Climate News
2025’s surge in data center construction will be fueled by the greater demands of AI (artificial intelligence) for electrical power. The explosive growth in data center construction and the related increases in demand for the electrical system installation and supply and logistical services they require is quite unlike anything the electrical business has ever seen. Over the years there’s been booms in speculative office construction, energy-efficient lighting retrofits and the installation of power quality industrial automation products. But the dollars being spent on new data centers – and the electrical construction materials that help power them – may very well be unmatched. This all means big business for electrical contractors, design engineers and other electrical professionals involved with data center construction. 