Tyler Norris
@tnorris.bsky.social
"An expert in power systems" -NYTimes | J.B. Duke Fellow @DukeU | Substack: http://powerpolicy.net
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey may be the most pro-Western civilization film Hollywood has made in decades - not because it flatters the Greeks, but because it understands civilization as a moral achievement rather than an ethnic possession. 1/7
Proud that Google is backing this historic project, supplied with US steel & modules and owned by Cypress Creek: “The project is the biggest of its kind to break ground in the US… upon completion it will reach 2.5GW solar and 2.9GWh storage.” www.ft.com/content/e9db...
The best succinct piece I’ve seen in a while on US grid interconnection challenges - everyone should read it! worksinprogress.co/issue/why-am...
Why American data centers can't plug in
The AI buildout is bottlenecked by energy. But America has the electricity to power its data centers; the problem is getting it to them.
worksinprogress.co
The landscape has changed a lot since this hugely i fluential one by @tnorris.bsky.social came out barely a year ago, but it remains a very important part of the conversation.
Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
nicholasinstitute.duke.edu
“Google’s demand response capability allows us to limit or shift a portion of machine learning (ML) workloads running in our data centers. This reduces the overall data center power demand, helping to stabilize the grid during certain hours or times of the year.”
Tyler Norris@tnorris.bsky.social · 5mo agoToday marks a significant milestone in the history of demand flexibility, as Google announces it has contracted one gigawatt of data center demand response capacity into long-term energy contracts with multiple utilities across the US. 🔌💡 blog.google/innovation-a...
Today marks a significant milestone in the history of demand flexibility, as Google announces it has contracted one gigawatt of data center demand response capacity into long-term energy contracts with multiple utilities across the US. 🔌💡 blog.google/innovation-a...
Tesla, Google, Carrier launch coalition to save $100B+ by unlocking idle grid capacity
Tesla, Google, Carrier launch coalition to save $100B+ by unlocking idle grid capacity
Tesla, Google, and Carrier are among the founding members of a new industry coalition called Utilize, which launched today with a bold claim: the US power grid is so underused that better utilization could save American consumers over $100 billion over the next decade. The coalition, which also includes Renew Home, Sparkfund, SPAN, and Verrus, is targeting a problem hiding in plain sight — the US electric grid operates at just 53% of its total capacity on average, according to a Duke University analysis of 22 regional power systems. more…
electrek.co
Not about working out in jeans but... if data centers acted like responsible grid participants and maximized demand flexibility, they could reduce power infrastructure needs by 40 GW, or like 50% of projected data center demand growth by 2035. nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/articles/key...
Key Takeaways: Data Center Flexibility and Generation Capacity Over the Next Decade
Even modest measures to curb data centers’ energy use during peak hours could substantially reduce the amount of new generation capacity needed to meet growing U.S. electricity demands over the next d...
nicholasinstitute.duke.edu
When everyone has a personal fleet of AI ‘experts’, the scarcest resource arguably becomes the human we trust to tell us which ones to believe. Paradoxically, the value of top-tier human expertise and verification may reach an all-time high.
Yes, Google has massive stakes with the US fed govt - which makes this from Google’s Chief Scientist even more meaningful. Have your execs spoken up?
The recent days have been horrific. We can't become numb to repeated instances of illegal and unconstitutional action by government agencies. It's even worse when public officials are blatantly lying in ways that contradict dozens of pieces of video evidence.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 7mo agoSen. Lankford blatantly lies about what the video of Renee Good's killing shows: "A classic law enforcement moment -- they have to fire their weapon and then when you see her car crash, law enforcement is running to her to provide aid. They're never looking to be able to take a life of individuals."
If you’re distraught and distracted today, it means you still have your humanity
More than 25 GW of large-scale generating projects reached an interconnection agreement in the ERCOT grid region in 2024. Berkeley Lab said ERCOT’s “connect and manage” approach “is likely one reason” for the grid operator’s success. @josephrand.bsky.social @tnorris.bsky.social #EnergySky
ERCOT outperformed on interconnection in 2024 likely due to “connect and manage”
More than 25 GW of large-scale generating projects seeking an interconnection agreement in the ERCOT grid region reached that stage in 2024. Berkeley Lab said ERCOT’s “connect and manage” approach “is...
pv-magazine-usa.com
New @wsj.com: "The Fight Over Making Data Centers Power Down to Avoid Blackouts" “The pressures of connecting to the grid at the scale and pace that people are talking about is going to push these solutions,” @jessedjenkins.com said. “There isn’t another option.” www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Country 9 in global oil reserves has invaded country 1 and arrested its president. Country 7 is under sanctions and its refineries are being destroyed. Country 2 is facing off with country 6. And there are riots in country 3. But oil is only $60/bbl. Maybe oil is not as critical as it used to be?
www.utilitydive.com/news/in-an-e... ...Large loads increase rates if they induce utilities to make expensive grid infrastructure upgrades to meet higher demand peaks...But with policy incentives to “restrain” peak demand, large loads can avoid the costs that drive higher rates...
In an era of rising rates, policies to strengthen power system flexibility can lower costs
The right policies can provide grid flexibility, which reduces demand-driven rate spikes and protects consumers while allowing utilities to build out the grid, experts say.
utilitydive.com
Most of the year, U.S. electricity grid utilization is around 50 percent. Some researchers say that spare electricity could be tapped and sent to other customers, presenting an opportunity to lower prices.
The U.S. may have a secret weapon against rising electricity prices
Most of the year, grid utilization is around 50 percent. Could that be used to lower prices?
washingtonpost.com
Not many Christmas gifts beat @shannonosaka.bsky.social covering grid utilization! WaPo: “The US may have a secret weapon against rising electricity prices” www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...
To anyone worried about a national energy wonk shortage: rest assured, there are still many brilliant experts available, Google just took the ones who chatter the most 😂
Heatmap News@heatmap.news · 8mo agoGoogle is gobbling up some of the most prominent voices on energy policy, including @tnorris.bsky.social, @douglewin.bsky.social, and Nathan Iyer. Here's @zeitlin.bsky.social on why that makes sense for Google's goals on both AI and emissions reduction: heatmap.news/energy/googl...
If you're interested, the link in the screen shot leads to www.ferc.gov/news-events/...
FACT SHEET | FERC Directs Nation’s Largest Grid Operator to Create New Rules to Embrace Innovation and Protect Consumers
Item E-1, Docket Nos. EL25-49-000, et al. | News Release | Presentation
ferc.gov
Tyler Norris@tnorris.bsky.social · 8mo agoFERC’s bipartisan order last week is genuinely one of the more hopeful things I’ve seen happen in 2025. Good, well-informed, bipartisan policy on big complex issues is still possible!
FERC’s bipartisan order last week is genuinely one of the more hopeful things I’ve seen happen in 2025. Good, well-informed, bipartisan policy on big complex issues is still possible!
Google is obviously doing great things, on many fronts. Among the most inspiring are their energy transition and climate focused efforts, having also recently added superstars like @tnorris.bsky.social and @douglewin.bsky.social to their mix.
My elderly mother just sent me this - I don’t know if AI-assisted research will arrive in time to help her, but the possibility is part of why I believe we need responsible AI leadership from Google and others.
Speaking of TIME, I had no idea they made my profile #1 for TIME100 Climate this year until I saw the hard copy (1st and longest profile)… clearly a very slow news year! 😂
FT's big new piece on "The AI power crunch" appropriately includes a section on flexibility, and I appreciate them referencing our research. ig.ft.com/ai-power
If you're not a subscriber, you're missing out on this goldmine - www.powerpolicy.net/p/new-study-... A good topic for anyone at the intersection of #CloudNative DataCenters, #EnergySky and Telco @tnorris.bsky.social
New Study Presents Novel Insights on Large Load Integration in PJM
First public study to model flexibility using real utility network data to resolve generation and transmission constraints simultaneously
powerpolicy.net
