Newsletter comparison
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter vs Volts
Short answer: Choose The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter for the Texas grid and its new load. Choose Volts for a broader clean-energy policy and technology brief. Keep both if national ideas must be tested against one fast-changing power market.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
An independent guide. Scottie isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter and Volts. Each publication owns its name, writing, and subscription terms.
A brief from both newsletters · July 31, 2026
See both newsletters in one brief
See what made the brief, what didn't, and the original links behind every included story.
In this brief: Scottie kept the selected stories separate because they added different value.
Reader priorities
An energy-policy or power-sector reader wants to understand which clean-energy technologies can scale and how new load changes the grid that must carry them.
These are illustrative priorities, not a customer’s data.
What made the brief
- The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter3 read · 3 included
- Volts1 read · 1 included
Scottie
Scottie example brief
July 31, 2026 · Executive brief
01 / The rundown
- ERCOT managed a record 91-gigawatt peak demand without outages, proving that expanding solar and battery fleets can effectively buffer sudden grid load surges.
- Modeling shows 74% of projected clean power expansion survives federal tax credit repeals, shifting the sector's main scaling bottleneck to grid interconnection.
- Hyperscaler artificial intelligence capex is projected to reach $1.6 trillion annually by 2031, forcing utilities to prepare for massive new baseline electricity demand.
02 / The briefing
01 / main
Parked EVs hold 10 gigawatts of potential grid capacity
The takeaway: Six million electric vehicles on American roads sit parked 95% of the day, offering 10 gigawatts of export capacity. Tapping this resource requires fixing unstacked utility incentives and establishing clear grid-parallel interconnection policies.
Concrete details
- About 1 million of the 6 million U.S. electric vehicles can currently export power back to the grid.
- A typical electric vehicle remains parked for 12 to 14 hours daily while needing only 2 to 3 hours of charge.
Why it matters for this reader: For your grid policy analysis, vehicle-to-grid integration converts growing EV load into flexible power capacity without requiring new power plants.
Original sourcesThe Texas Energy and Power Newsletter
02 / main
AI infrastructure spending could hit $1.6 trillion by 2031
The takeaway: Escalating artificial intelligence demands are transforming tech hyperscalers into major grid power buyers. Rapid datacenter expansion for AI queries is forcing power sectors and lawmakers to rethink public land use and historical utility regulation.
Concrete details
- Goldman Sachs projects baseline annual spending on AI infrastructure will jump from $765 billion to $1.6 trillion by 2031.
- Historical power rules forced electricity monopolies to accept capped returns on equity and formal obligations to serve all customers.
Why it matters for this reader: As you track grid load expansion, massive hyperscale computing demands are redefining utility rate structures and accelerating power infrastructure investments.
Original sourcesThe Texas Energy and Power Newsletter
03 / main
ERCOT hits record 91 gigawatts as solar and storage deliver
The takeaway: Texas electricity demand smashed previous records by reaching 91 gigawatts during a summer heatwave. Unlike past crunches, added solar and battery capacity helped the grid operator avoid emergency conservation calls or rolling blackouts.
Concrete details
- ERCOT electricity demand reached 91 gigawatts, breaking the previous peak record of 85.5 gigawatts set two years prior.
- Texas projects over 45 gigawatts of solar and 27 gigawatts of storage capacity operating on its grid by late 2026.
Why it matters for this reader: This real-time case study shows how scaling solar and battery capacity equips regional grid operators to handle intense load spikes successfully.
Original sourcesThe Texas Energy and Power Newsletter
04 / main
Clean energy expansion stays on track despite tax credit repeals
The takeaway: Eliminating Inflation Reduction Act tax credits through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will not stop renewable momentum. Modeling shows 74% of planned clean capacity will still materialize, shifting focus to interconnection bottlenecks.
Concrete details
- Modeling indicates 74% of clean capacity and 67% of power-sector emissions reductions will survive federal tax credit rollbacks.
- Distributed solar retains roughly 95% of its capacity additions under existing state-level net metering and local policy frameworks.
Why it matters for this reader: For your policy focus, scaling clean generation now depends more on clearing regional transmission interconnection queues than relying on federal subsidies.
Original sourcesVolts
Action items
- Evaluate regional interconnection queue rules to identify permitting barriers holding back grid-parallel battery and clean energy projects.
- Analyze unstacked rate structures in ERCOT to design coordinated utility incentives for vehicle-to-grid power exports.
See every issue behind this brief
EVs offer 10 gigawatts of export capacity for the grid
- Ten gigawatts are parked in American drivewaysThe Texas Energy and Power Newsletter · Included
Hyperscaler AI spending reaches utility-scale power demand levels
- Hyperscalers are utilitiesThe Texas Energy and Power Newsletter · Included
Clean energy trajectory following the end of IRA tax credits
ERCOT demand breaks record at 91 gigawatts
- New Demand Record | Reading and Podcast Picks - July 26, 2026The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter · Included
The useful difference
The difference that matters
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter stays close to ERCOT, utilities, storage, data centers, and Texas market design. Volts ranges across clean-energy policy and technologies with a broader national implementation lens.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
What each is best for
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter contributes concrete evidence about ERCOT load, storage, utilities, hyperscalers, and distributed capacity.[1][2][3]
Volts
Volts contributes a wider look at clean-energy deployment, public policy, transit, distributed solar, and the barriers to building.[4][5][6]
When it’s worth reading both
The pair is useful when a promising clean-energy idea reaches a real grid, utility, or permitting constraint. Scottie can connect the policy to the system evidence without treating Texas as the whole country.[1][2][3][4][5][6]