Reading and Podcast Picks is a collection of what we’ve been reading and listening to over the last week or so about energy topics.
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Texas Continued Permitting Data Centers After Abbott’s Pause, Report Finds | Inside Climate News
Despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s announced pause on data center approvals, watchdog groups say Texas regulators have continued processing applications and issuing approvals.
“TCEQ has continued reviewing applications and issuing approvals that allow data center development to proceed,” the group [FracTracker] said in a press release Monday. “These actions do not signal an agency trying to pause.”
In response, Abbott Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris indicated that the pause applied to approval, not processing, of permits.
“No permits have been approved,” Mahaleris said in a statement. “In line with the Governor’s directive, TCEQ has not taken and will not take any proactive actions related to the approval of data center permits.”
Solar and Storage Growth Drives Down Summer Wholesale Electricity Prices | SEIA
Texas wholesale prices were down 42% in the summer thanks to solar energy, according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industry Association.
“As the midterm elections approach, delivering affordable, reliable power is a priority that transcends party lines and Texas and California are proof that the growth of solar and storage is driving down prices,” said SEIA CEO Tim Pawlenty.
The impact is particularly notable given how much electricity demand increased over the same period.
Texas data centers could undo years of progress on air pollution | The Texas Tribune
Texas spent two decades reducing major air pollutants even as its population and economy grew. But with at least 288 data center projects proposed statewide, a new report from the Houston Advanced Research Center warns the industry’s growing energy needs could reverse that progress.
By 2031, the report projects that statewide nitrogen oxide emissions could rise 35% — even under a cleaner “net zero” scenario where data centers connect to the grid and deploy wind and solar on site. Under a different scenario where data centers choose traditional on-site natural-gas power sources, those emissions could increase nearly 400%. Such emissions can damage the human respiratory system with long-term exposure, causing chronic lung disease.
