Kevin Stevens

A Battle is Brewing Between Systems of Record and AI Agents I come from a family of linemen...

As AI agents advance, they're creating a fundamental shift in how systems of record function. The most successful systems won't just passively collect data—they'll actively interpret, learn from, and act upon it.

#energysky

open.substack.com/pub/kevindst...

Two stories caught my eye this week.

Siemens Energy posted profits much higher than expected and increased guidance.

Global EV sales are expected to increase 30% in 2025 after a “down” year in 2024.

The momentum is real, even if the macro noise hasn’t quieted. #energysky

The demise of EVs has been extremely overstated.

Tesla ≠ the market ≠ BYD.

Solar power in France is providing so much generation that its famed nuclear fleet is now forced to be more flexible.

Solar and storage continue to out perform expectations.

I never believed Trump would be a boom for oil and gas in the way that worried my fellow climate investors.

The industry was in an equilibrium and had no incentives to increase supply even with decreased regulation.

What I didn’t expect was demand destruction from tariffs.

Europe Is Looking to Roll Back Climate Accounting Rules Changes would seek to ease companies’ regulatory burden amid concerns over the continent’s competitiveness.

I spent last week in Europe and this was top of mind for investors there.

Companies that have won due to regulatory tailwinds will feel a lot different over the next few years. #greensky 💡🔌

www.wsj.com/articles/eur...

This was always going to be the case.

DeepSeek cements that in an AI world software better be mission critical, have differentiated distribution, or sticky through functional expansion.

If you don’t have those, someone who does will build your killer feature in weeks.

Tech has historically always found a way to become more efficient. I think that’s what happens here. DeepSeek is a good example if it’s all true which is up in the air.

So, so much to be done. And a lot of the hyperscalers want to find ways to skip it - I wonder how much ends up off grid.

It feels like X engagement is way down and that’s probably a reflection of my followers.

I’m a verified user there, post the same thing and the same time, and have 1/10 the audience here.

Most thing get the same number of likes / reposts.

Want to see what data center demand has done to power demand forecasts in just 12 months?

Check out PJMs forecast for summer and winter peaks in 2025 compared to 2024.

The difference between the 2032 forecast this year and last year is almost 40,000 MW. 🔌💡

The insurance industry will have to evolve.

The California wildfires are burning some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

California isn't alone.

Texas = hail
Florida and the Gulf = hurricanes
The West = fires

And of course, the floods.

Something has to give.

🔌💡

Cut away view of the Ioniq 5 from a recent auto show in China.

Not sure how they executed this, but the working electronics and the wheels are seriously impressive. 🔌💡

The forecast models for January keep getting colder for longer.

The most extreme runs have 6 inches of snow on the ground in the Florida panhandle for a week or so.

Every generator and utility hedges for these events, but as Uri showed, there are no guarantees.

Power markets in for a month. 🔌💡

The wholesale power markets will be wild. 🔌💡

Wait…is that Chicago 33 degrees lower than normal?!?!

Garage gym ftw!

By 2028, Atlanta’s data-center inventory will grow to a power load of more than 4,000 megawatts, more than 30 times the metro’s data center load in 2012. 🔌💡

And it has a new opponent…people who want more housing. DCs make up 40% of new real estate supply. That seems untenable over the long run.

You Need More Than a Great Solution Make it about the customer.

Too often I’ll see a solution in climate tech that is absolutely brilliant, but the customer journey is forgotten.

The more complex the industry the more customers need to feel like they are on a smooth ride that is inevitable. 🔌💡

open.substack.com/pub/kevindst...

Anyone else on #EnergySky see this and immediately ask why Regional Transmission Operators are in the news?

EV sales will surpass ICE in China next year.

This is what happens when you make a superior product.

The US needs to find our way of doing this. 🔌💡

I spent 5 years in consumer energy. There are two extremes here:

1. A text will do
2. Over my dead body

2 is much larger, people don’t trust their comfort to an industry with a lower NPS than airlines. 🔌💡

Yes! Put some real world challenge in there.

I have an idea for getting people excited about heat pumps…

🔌💡

This is the worst American Airlines Christmas debacle since they let Kevin board a plane to New York without a ticket in 1992.

Some good climate news from 2024 in this Bloomberg article including a record number of EV installations. 🔌💡

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Ha! I’m holding out hope that’s it.

I think my energy posts do well here and meh on LinkedIn.

But general finance or company building does well there, terrible here.

People like to keep things complex because they believe it shows off their intelligence.

The opposite is true. How quickly can you make someone else feel smarter about your area of expertise?

I think it’s time for me to accept my content plays better on LinkedIn and I’m not sure what to make of that.