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America’s Power Grid Can’t Keep Up with AI Demand by Ambia Staley

William Attardi on May 19, 2026

The U.S. needs about 5,000 miles of high-voltage transmission per year to keep pace with electricity demand. In 2024, just 888 miles were completed, according to an analysis by Grid Strategies. That gap is widening even as data center developers race to bring tens of gigawatts of new load online. The result is a structural mismatch between the speed at which demand arrives and the speed at which the grid can absorb it. Global electricity demand from data centers grew by 17% in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency, with AI-focused data center electricity consumption growing even faster, surging 50%. In the U.S., data centers now account for about half of the country’s incremental demand growth, according to the IEA’s global energy assessment. AI data centers have U.S. power grid struggling to keep up

Electric Vehicles Catching on in the United States and Around the Globe By Rick Laezman

William Attardi on June 12, 2025

While still a relatively small portion of the total number of vehicles on the road, electric vehicles are catching on, and their numbers are growing. The trend is happening around the globe and in various states in the United States.According to the “Global EV Outlook 2025” report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global sales of electric cars are climbing. They are on track to surpass 20 million in 2025, which would account for over a quarter of cars sold worldwide. That’s also an increase of 35% from the same time last year.In a country-by-country comparison, China maintains its position as the EV market leader. EVs account for almost half of all Chinese car sales in 2024.In the United States, electric car sales grew by about 10% year-on-year, reaching more than one in 10 cars sold. Electric Vehicles Catching on in the United States and Around the Globe – Electrical Contractor Magazine

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”