Simon Mahan

Wind, solar power face a common foe — creative local governments We calculated restrictions on wind and solar energy projects by looking at the restrictions states and counties imposed on their development.

“The decision-makers may say a 30-decibel sound limit sounds like a great thing, but that’s quieter than the wind itself, so you’re effectively placing a ban on this form of energy without having to set a ban,” said [me] www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Alabama moves to end Public Service Commission elections after Democrats win in Georgia www.al.com/politics/202...

"In the past month, SEEM traded zero megawatt hours of power in 26 separate hourly occasions across all hours in the month....That pattern is not an anomaly. It is a recurring feature noted by SEEM’s own market auditor year after year." southernrenewable.org/news-updates...

MISO States Dispute ‘High Risk’ Designation from NERC www.rtoinsider.com/125208-miso-...

A family that turned down $15 million to sell their 200 acre farm to a data center. Good for them, it's their land to do with as they please. Assuredly a story for generations.

It's generating so much social media buzz, the company now reportedly needs to build two data centers.

peace out energy nerds
Immabouto sell ya'll end tables

Exclusive: Majority of Trump voters back solar power, poll finds Trump officials are moving against renewables on several fronts.

Trump pollster finds MAGA voters like solar energy www.axios.com/2026/02/04/t...

ERAS Tour: Hi, It’s Me, I’m the Planning Problem The new ERAS processes in MISO and SPP allow certain power plants to effectively jump the interconnection line, writes Simon Mahan.

ERAS lets utilities cut the interconnection line—fast-tracking billions in gas projects after years of poor planning. “Temporary” fixes have a way of becoming permanent (and expensive) precedents. Why regulators should slow down and protect ratepayers: www.rtoinsider.com/124815-eras-...

Yup!

Come to find out, all power plants are weather dependent!

SPP outages. If I happen to say gas and coal fail the most out of any generation resource, I'm gonna get a lot of angry people that don't like math, so I won't mention it.

SPP: Exported up to 3,500 MW during winter storm Fern. Exported some amount almost entire time. Wind turbine icing didn't happen as extensively as forecasted, so wind power over performed accreditation and forecast amount. 15GW generator outages.

Don’t Panic! Why the Latest NERC Reliability Maps Deserve a Skeptical Read Every winter, the energy world gets its version of groundhog season. A major national report drops. Headlines follow. Social media lights up. And...

Don’t panic over NERC’s reliability maps — they’re a static snapshot built on outdated assumptions and data that can mislead. Read the fine print: planning, forecasts, storage, and grid solutions matter more than doom-and-gloom colors. southernrenewable.org/news-updates...

State regulators approve new natural gas power plant in Jefferson County - Arkansas Times The Public Service Commission approved Entergy's application for a new natural gas plant, but strongly criticized the utility for not using a more competitive process for deciding how to produce more ...

"While the Public Service Commission approved the power plant, the regulators also agreed with SREA and ordered that future proposals for power generation include a more competitive, and transparent process." arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Why Winter Storm Fern Could Put the Power Grid at Risk Forecasts for Winter Storm Fern are becoming increasingly concerning. Meteorologists are already comparing the storm to Winter Storm Uri - the event...

❄️ WINTER STORM FERN: Heavy snow and ice is expected to impact much of the Southeast this weekend. Our friend Simon Mahan of the Southern Renewable Energy Association breaks down how this storm could impact your power 🔌💡

Georgia's been growing hot. Meta's in Louisiana. Google's in Arkansas. xAI is in Tennessee. Amazon's in Mississippi.

Based on this ICF map, I suspect Tampa, Tulsa, Albany, Midland, Amarillo, Wichita, Cincinnati to be high on data center target lists. www.icf.com/-/media/file...

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Executive Director, Careers At National Governors Association Position Title Executive Director Organization National Governors Association Year Founded 1908 Employees 80 Location Washington DC Reports to Executive Committee Direct Report 5 ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW...

Very cool job alert: Executive Director, National Governors Association, $400-$450k in DC nga.hrmdirect.com/employment/j...

I could not find any reason 1/11 is Arkansas day. It's not statehood, constitutional, or in any way notable.

Elon Musk's xAI investing over $20 billion in Mississippi for data center - SuperTalk Mississippi Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is investing over $20 billion in Mississippi through the establishment of a data center and additional

The facility will be known as “MACROHARDRR” and will help xAI approach two gigawatts in capacity when combined with the other Colossus sites. www.supertalk.fm/elon-musks-x...

Katherine’s final episode Podcast Episode · Open Circuit · 12/19/2025 · 54m

Do you miss the "old" Energy Gang with Jigar Shah, Katherine Hamilton and Stephen Lacey? Open Circuit is another pod featuring them; but Katherine is retiring. You should give this episode a listen, and may we all become a bit more like Katherine. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...

LPSC Policy Director / Senior Advisor - Job Alliance for Affordable Energy is now hiring for the position of LPSC Policy Director / Senior Advisor in New Orleans. Apply today.

Cool job alert: LPSC Policy Director / Senior Advisor Alliance for Affordable Energy $70,000 - $95,000 www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit...

Regional Transmission Planning for State Regulators - 2026: NARUC Read more on our site.

This will be good and folks should attend! "Regional Transmission Planning for State Regulators" maxxwww.naruc.org/forms/meetin...

Why BYD's 5-Minute Fast-Charging Is Our Technology Of The Year BYD's Megawatt charging, which can recharge an electric vehicle in about five minutes while reaching speeds of up to 1,000 kilowatts, is coming to Europe soon.

"It allows some of BYD's newest electric vehicles to go from a low battery to more than 50% in under five minutes, at speeds of up to 1,000 kilowatts, or one megawatt. That's double what even America's fastest DC chargers will do." insideevs.com/features/782...

What data center companies are spending for Georgia land might shock you As data center campuses get larger to meet the demands of AI, Georgia has emerged as a prime target.

"A tech giant paid about $275,000 per acre for an industrial site in rural Lamar County that assessors had valued for a fraction of that price just two years earlier." www.ajc.com/business/202...

Big wind coming for the PNW tonight following a strong cold front. These setups tend to bring very strong westerly gusts (60+ mph) to northern Puget Sound.

Saturated soils increases odds of tree damage & power outages to places already facing flooding. Blizzard conditions possible in the Cascades.