12. Reliability vs. Reality: Can the Grid Keep Up?
MAY 4, 2026 With strained supply chains, stubborn inflation, and the exploding demand from AI and data centers, the pressure on today’s power grid is unlike anything the industry has seen in decades. While solar, energy storage, and natural gas are all expanding rapidly, the question remains: are we building a system that can actually…
51. Who Gets a Refund? Reverberations from the SCOTUS Tariffs Decision
MARCH 25, 2026 The Supreme Court of the United States has clipped the power of the executive branch in ruling that President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs was illegal. The decision is leading thousands of companies to seek refunds, and threatening to upend trade agreements the U.S. previously struck with countries seeking lower rates. Meanwhile,…
50. Superpowers — and Potential Perils: Deploying AI for Business
MARCH 2026 Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm, promising to enhance efficiency and revolutionize business. Corporations are embracing the technology, with AI market size expected to reach 1 trillion by 2030. But companies that deploy AI for their operations are confronting risks involving litigation, privacy, and ethics. And regulators are struggling…
11. Powering the Surge: How PJM, the White House, and States Are Responding to Explosive Load Growth
FEBRUARY 3, 2026 Electricity demand across PJM is accelerating at a pace few anticipated, driven by AI, data centers, and advanced manufacturing. What was once a long-term planning challenge has become an immediate test of market design, grid reliability, and regulatory authority. In response, the White House has stepped in, urging faster generation development and…
10. Managing the Surge: The Debate over FERC’s Large-Load Interconnections
JANUARY 5, 2026 As data centers continue to put stress on the nation’s electricity grid, federal regulators are moving quickly to stave off overwhelming it. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is now considering major reforms for large-load interconnections and has launched an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. Final comments were due on December 5,…
9. Energy Policy in Motion: What DOE Section 403 Instruction to FERC Means for Data Center Power Supply
November 5, 2025 DOE Secretary Wright’s Federal Power Act Section 403 direction to FERC calls for a sea-change in the way large energy users — especially data centers — interconnect to the power grid. In the ninth episode of Accelerating Energy, host and Sidley partner Ken Irvin is joined by colleagues Terence Healey, a partner in…
49. SCOTUS in Session: Tariffs, the “Shadow Docket,” and Executive Power
November 2025 The Supreme Court of the United States is back in session with a blockbuster docket that could shift the levers of power in America. Issues range from the scope of executive authority, and the role of the federal government, to the power of the lower courts in resolving executive power disputes. As cases…
8. Deal Disruption or Market Opportunity? The Impact of Texas Senate Bill 6 on Project Finance
October 7, 2025 Demand for electricity is surging in America, driven largely by AI data centers and other energy-intensive users powering the digital economy. This rapid growth has heightened concerns among businesses and consumers over rising costs and grid reliability. In response, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 6 (SB6), a sweeping overhaul of how the…
48. Tokenized Real-World Assets Have Gone Mainstream — Is Your Business Ready?
September 2025 A brave new world of investing is now open for business, and with it, a new way to conceive of property. Tokenized real-world assets have gone mainstream. Major financial institutions are racing to tokenize everything — from U.S. treasuries, to art, to real estate, converting these assets into digital form and storing them…
7. Speed to Power or Policy Paralysis? The OBBBA and America’s Clean Energy Future
August 14, 2025 The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is now law, marking a major shift in U.S. energy policy and the beginning of a broader effort to rewire America’s energy future. With its passage, the OBBBA rolls back many key clean energy tax incentives and reestablishes a focus on fossil fuel development. This…