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Energy expert: Houston welcomed the world — can Texas power what's next?

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Can Texas build the energy infrastructure needed to power what comes next? Photo via Getty Images

For a few weeks this summer, Houston welcomed the world.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 showcased our city's ability to host one of the largest international events on the planet. Millions watched from around the globe while hundreds of thousands of visitors experienced firsthand what Houston has become: a world-class destination for business, culture and global events.

But once the final match is played and the visitors return home, a more important question remains: Can Texas build the energy infrastructure needed to power what comes next?

The World Cup wasn't the finish line. It was a glimpse into the future.

That future is being shaped not only by population growth, but also by artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, advanced manufacturing, electrification, LNG expansion and continued industrial investment. Together, these forces are creating an unprecedented demand for electricity and placing new expectations on the infrastructure that supports it.

Energy Has Become Economic Infrastructure

For decades, economic development centered around highways, ports, airports and workforce.

Today, another asset has moved to the top of that list: energy infrastructure.

Reliable electricity is no longer simply a utility service. It has become a competitive advantage.

Companies evaluating where to build the next AI campus, manufacturing facility or industrial complex are increasingly asking different questions. How quickly can power be delivered? Is there enough transmission capacity? Can substations support future expansion? Is water infrastructure available? What is the long-term reliability of the local grid?

These questions are becoming just as important as tax incentives and available real estate.

Recent comments from Governor Greg Abbott that future AI developments should provide their own power generation and water illustrate just how dramatically the conversation has evolved. The challenge is no longer limited to meeting today's demand. It is preparing for a future where entirely new industries require unprecedented amounts of electricity while ensuring existing homes and businesses continue to receive reliable, affordable service.

The Next Energy Race Has Already Begun

Texas remains the nation's energy leader, producing more electricity than any other state while continuing to expand natural gas, wind, solar and emerging technologies.

But leadership in the next decade will be measured differently.

Success will depend on how quickly we can expand transmission infrastructure, modernize distribution systems, accelerate interconnection, strengthen grid resilience and support new generation where economic growth is occurring.

The conversation has shifted from producing more electricity to delivering it smarter.

That requires planning years before demand arrives.

Houston Is the Proving Ground

Houston sits at the center of this transformation.

Already recognized as the Energy Capital of the World, the region continues attracting major employers, global headquarters, industrial expansion and technology investment. The Port of Houston continues to grow. Advanced manufacturing is expanding. AI companies are evaluating Texas alongside other national markets.

Every one of these investments depends on reliable infrastructure.

While the World Cup demonstrated Houston's ability to manage a temporary surge of visitors, the more significant challenge lies ahead. Permanent economic growth creates sustained electricity demand that cannot be addressed with temporary solutions.

Meeting that demand will require coordinated investment across generation, transmission, distribution, storage and increasingly, digital technologies capable of forecasting and managing electricity in real time.

Smarter Infrastructure for a Smarter Grid

The future electric grid will look very different from the one that built modern Texas.

Artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, advanced sensors and distributed energy resources will allow operators to anticipate demand, identify equipment failures before they occur and optimize energy delivery across increasingly complex networks.

Infrastructure is no longer simply about building more. It is about building smarter.

At the same time, resilience must remain central to every investment. Texans understand better than most that hurricanes, flooding, winter storms and prolonged heat waves are no longer rare events. Modern infrastructure must not only support growth but also withstand increasingly volatile weather.

Building Beyond the Headlines

The World Cup generated headlines because of what happened on the field.

Its lasting legacy may be what it revealed about the city beyond the stadium.

Houston demonstrated that it can host the world. The next challenge is ensuring it can continue to power one of the fastest-growing economies in North America.

That will require continued investment, thoughtful policy and long-term planning that recognizes energy infrastructure as essential economic infrastructure.

Texas has spent decades leading the world in energy production.

The next opportunity is even greater.

To become the global leader in how energy systems are planned, built and operated for a future defined by artificial intelligence, industrial growth and rapidly evolving consumer demand.

Because the cities that lead tomorrow won't simply generate the most energy.

They'll be the ones best prepared to deliver it where opportunity is growing.

———

Sam Luna is director at BKV Energy, where he oversees brand and go-to-market strategy, customer experience, marketing execution, and more.

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Houstonians are concerned about data centers' high energy demands and the area’s power grid reliability, according to a new report. Photo courtesy UH

New survey reveals concerns over AI data center growth in Houston

data findings

A new report out of the University of Houston shows that area residents remain wary of the long-term effects of operating data centers.

The recent survey from the University of Houston’s latest SPACE City Panel, conducted by the Center for Public Policy at the Hobby School of Public Affairs, shows that while 85 percent of Houston-area residents use AI, nearly 63 percent oppose the construction of AI data centers within 1 mile of their homes.

Respondents’ concerns centered around data centers’ high energy demand and the area’s power grid reliability. According to the survey, 32 percent of residents who oppose local data center projects would be more likely to support the centers if they relied on renewable energy over fossil fuels.

“Respondents understand that AI can bring economic and educational benefits, but they are also concerned about the physical infrastructure needed to fuel AI, especially data centers,” Soran Mohtadi, post-doctoral fellow at the Hobby School and a researcher on the report, said in a news release. “This physical infrastructure demands more electricity and water, leading to environmental impacts.”

Experts estimate that 6.5 gigawatts of data center capacity will be added to the Texas grid by 2030. And Houston’s data center capacity is predicted to more than double by 2028.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas also projects electricity demand could reach 218 gigawatts by 2031, which would be more than double the record peak set in August 2023. Data centers are expected to account for 86 gigawatts of that new demand.

Survey respondents also said they are concerned about the state's future water supply, given the large amounts of water that data centers need to stay cool.

In terms of who’s responsible for that issue, 57.6 percent of respondents said they put the onus on Texas lawmakers, while 31.5 percent say tech companies should be responsible.

Additionally, more than 75 percent of respondents believed that data center developers and technology companies—not residents—should bear the cost of infrastructure upgrades to support data centers.

“Every decision legislators make has implications on residents’ everyday lives and local infrastructure now and in the future,” Maria P. Perez Arguelles, lead researcher on the report and research assistant professor at the Hobby School, added in the news release. “This issue is going to become more important in years to come, so this is just the beginning.”

Read the full report here.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

Extreme temps are here to stay. Getty Images

Energy expert: Why Houston's 100-degree days matter more than 5 years ago

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If you are a Houston native or have lived in the city since the 1980s, you likely remember when a 100-degree day was so rare it made the local news. There were heat advisory warnings, with special attention to the midday hours, because the heat exposure carried with it risks like dehydration, heat stroke and extreme exposure to UV rays.

In this new era for our city and state, 100-degree days are becoming more common. Our local weather forecasters still report on the occurrence, but we are no longer able to restrict our activities as heavily.

The climate has changed rapidly, and Texans are navigating our collective response to the increased heat that has serious implications for our health, energy supply, economy and regional life.

Houston Has Always Been Hot, But This Heat is Different

Houston has expanded exponentially in the last few decades, doubling its population from roughly 1.4 million in 1976 to 2.4 million today. When we account for the growth in the surrounding suburbs, the population boom nearly quintuples.

Houston and the surrounding suburbs now total nearly 7 million people, a huge population increase that brings greater demand for energy. This demand impacts our infrastructure, energy availability, consumer costs, workforce productivity and water supply significantly. With these additions comes more asphalt and fewer trees. With less tree cover and green space, heat gets trapped, increasing temperatures in the city.

We are not just inheriting rising temperatures; we are also building hotter cities.

100-Degree Days and The Texas Grid

I have written before about our grid capacity, changes facing Texas, and the strain that we have seen on the grid. While redundancies in the Texas grid are improving, the pace of this change continues to pose challenges for our area.

The extreme heat has now made air conditioning mandatory for a greater percentage of days during the calendar year. AC units (large and small) are no longer cycling on and off as they are designed to run; instead, most systems are running continuously to meet the needs of Texans.

Daily activities and devices, including remote work, the AI boom, physical exercise, children’s playtime, charging multiple devices, and streaming entertainment, require much more cooling than in previous generations, producing a much larger demand on the grid.

Additionally, the way Houstonians live at home has also changed. Homes across America are much larger on average than they were in the 1980’s. Also, with the rise of remote work, there is a greater need for all-day electricity in each individual household. These factors, combined with the exponential increase in the number of devices and appliances used in households, significantly affect energy demand in our region.

Of course, we’re also seeing massive usage of electricity from large business users (warehouses, data centers, and more), including empty office buildings as return-to-office is slower than expected post-pandemic.

Heat is Not the Only Culprit

As Houston is a coastal city, we not only have to contend with 100-degree temperatures, but humidity also adds an extra layer of complexity to our climate. Thanks to the humidity, temperatures stay elevated for longer periods, meaning everything is retaining heat at a higher rate and for longer than ever before.

The heat never really leaves us anymore, as we don’t have cooler nights to help balance these very hot days. The compounding effect of extreme temperatures and high humidity makes energy demand higher in our region than in places like the New Mexico desert.

Economic Impact on Our Region

Extreme heat hits Texans’ wallets long before a weather alert ever pops up. When temperatures stay above 100 degrees for days at a time, air conditioners are basically working overtime, which sends electricity bills climbing.

And the harder those systems run, the more wear and tear homeowners end up dealing with, usually at the worst possible time, like the middle of July when a boom of AC units decide to quit at once. Meanwhile, roads, transformers and other infrastructure are all under more stress than they were originally built for.

There’s also a much bigger ripple effect that people don’t always think about. When it’s dangerously hot outside, construction crews, energy workers, landscapers, and other outdoor industries simply can’t operate the same way, which slows productivity and raises safety concerns.

Cities are also spending more money on cooling centers and heat-related emergency response, and over time, all of those rising costs have a way of showing up somewhere, whether that’s insurance rates, utility costs or the price communities pay to keep up with extreme weather.

The Opportunity for Houston

Texas is becoming a real-time test case for what happens when extreme heat, rapid growth, and massive energy demand all hit at once. While problematic, it also creates a huge opportunity for Houston and the Texas energy sector to lead. If there’s any place equipped to determine what the future of energy resilience looks like, it’s the city that already powers so much of the world’s energy conversation.

And the solution isn’t just “create more electricity.” It’s about building a smarter, more flexible system overall with better grid technology, battery storage, stronger infrastructure, more efficient building, and energy systems that can handle these extreme weather swings without everything feeling stressed at once. The reality is that a lot of what Texas figures out over the next few years could become the blueprint for other cities and states across the country.

Houston is already testing some of these smarter resilience strategies, such as microgrids, stronger substations, and more flexible energy systems designed to keep critical facilities running during major storms or outages. The goal is simple: build a grid that can take a hit without everything feeling strained all at once.

Going Forward

Hotter days are here to stay. We can’t stop our lives amid the extreme heat, so we have to find ways to adapt and we have to do it quickly. If there’s one thing Texas has always done well, however, it’s innovate under pressure. The communities, companies and energy leaders that move fastest now won’t just be responding to the future, they’ll be helping define it.

———

Sam Luna is director at BKV Energy, where he oversees brand and go-to-market strategy, customer experience, marketing execution, and more.

Residents in Montgomery, Liberty and Hardin counties can expect to see power grid improvements in the coming years. Photo via Getty Images

Texas awards $73M for Houston-area grid resilience project

grid funding

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott announced millions in funding for energy resilience projects around this state this week, with one major project set to impact the greater Houston area.

As part of the Texas Energy Fund's Outside of ERCOT Grant Program, the state announced a roughly $73 million agreement with the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative to replace and upgrade more than 9,000 electric poles and improve other equipment in Montgomery, Liberty and Hardin counties. The agreement is the first for the fund's Outside of ERCOT Grant Program, which supports state projects outside of the state's largest grid.

The multibillion-dollar Texas Energy Fund aims to "finance the construction, maintenance, and modernization of electric facilities across Texas." It was approved by voters in 2023. Other programs within the fund include the:

  • In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program
  • Completion Bonus Grant Program
  • Texas Backup Power Package Program

“The Texas Energy Fund delivers real results for Texans and strengthens the electric systems that families, businesses, and communities depend on,” Abbott said in a news release. “This grant to Sam Houston Electric Cooperative will replace thousands of vulnerable utility poles to better withstand severe weather and ensure a more reliable and resilient grid in East Texas.”

The Houston-area project, nicknamed Steel Anchor, is expected to be completed by June 2031. According to the release from the governor's office, the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s territory is one of the most hurricane-prone service areas in the state. The cooperative serves more than 38,000 Texas consumers

“Over the past decade, Sam Houston EC has strategically replaced poles to improve the strength of its electricity distribution system. This grant will boost the Cooperative’s ongoing grid-hardening and resiliency program,” Doug Turk, CEO of the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, added in the release.

Following the announcement of the Sam Houston funding, Abbott's office also awarded another $200 million from the Outside of ERCOT Grant Program to upgrade approximately 700 miles of power equipment in Northeast Texas. The equipment is operated by Southwestern Electric Power Company, which serves more than 192,000 Texas consumers. The project will include improvements to 200 circuits, replacing aging copper wire with aluminum alloy conductors and replacing existing utility poles.

Additionally, the state announced its seventh Texas Energy Fund loan agreement for a 570 megawatt natural gas power plant in Sherman, Texas. The 20-year loan of up to $411 million is between the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Rayburn Electric Cooperative and is part of the fund's In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program. Rayburn will build the facility near its existing Rayburn Energy Station 1 in the Texoma region. It will connect to the ERCOT North Load Zone.

“When Texas voters overwhelmingly approved the Texas Energy Fund, they gave us a mandate to secure new, reliable power generation for Texas,” PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson added in a release. “The TxEF is delivering on that promise, and Rayburn Electric Cooperative’s new 570 MW power plant is proof. We are ensuring Texas families and businesses have power they can depend on for years to come.”

Getty Images.

Energy expert on powering Texas by leading globally and acting locally

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Texas is known around the world for shaping energy trends, including conservation efforts. As we reflect on Earth Day this month, let’s take a closer look at where Texas is getting things right and where there is still room for improvement.

Texas is the nation’s top producer of energy across oil, gas, wind and solar power. We have built our identity on the idea of leading the world as a powerhouse for energy production, but Texas also has to deliver results to its residents and the United States; otherwise, our global leadership falls flat.

Measuring Texas’ Global Leadership

Texas is the nation’s largest energy producer, leading the U.S. in wind-powered electricity generation and rapidly expanding its solar capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Our state continues to lead nationally in large-scale energy investments, business-friendly policies and abundant natural resources.

Texas is not standing still or simply doing what it has always done. The state recognizes that to stay competitive, we must adapt and change. Diversification in the areas of liquefied natural gas exports and new investments in carbon and hydrogen capture are defining what the next chapter of Texas’ leadership will look like.

Energy leadership requires production, innovation and influence. Together, these will keep Texas as a formidable force in global energy production.

Our Local Texas Reality Is Important, Too

When we zoom in to look more closely at what is happening in Texas, the picture becomes a bit more nuanced. Our energy independence creates both flexibility and vulnerability, especially during major weather events such as winter storms and hurricanes.

Five years later, the effects of Winter Storm Uri remain in many of our minds. Demand for home generators has risen quickly in the state, with Houston leading the way due to grid uncertainty. As our population continues to rise quickly and more data centers are built in the state, grid stability remains a major factor in Texas’ ability to lead in energy innovation to meet the demands of residents.

ERCOT has developed a three-part plan to help mitigate the risk of grid failure during periods of extreme demand or emergencies. While this is an improvement over five years ago, Texas still needs to invest significantly in grid resiliency.

Texas’ Energy Market and Affordability

Often, proponents of our deregulated energy market in Texas hold it up as an example of healthy competition and consumer choice. Lawmakers claim that it gives residents the ability to select an energy plan that best meets their needs.

In practice, however, the market can be difficult to navigate. There are many electricity plans and providers, so residents often feel overwhelmed when navigating the energy market. With fluctuating rates, complex contracts and peak pricing structures, monthly energy bills can be surprising.

Additionally, as utility companies seek to distribute energy infrastructure costs to customers, prices are rising rapidly. According to TEPRI, electricity rates have risen by 30% since 2021, and the organization predicts an additional 29% increase by 2030.

A 60% increase in electricity prices over less than a decade will affect more than 4.1 million LMI (low- to moderate-income) households in Texas. Conservative projections by TEPRI estimate that by 2030, LMI households will pay an additional $863 annually for electricity, representing an electricity-pricing burden of 8.2%.

The energy affordability crisis is just beginning here in Texas, and greater education and proactive legislation are needed to help LMI households navigate the changing market and rising energy costs. LMI households are already choosing between paying for electricity and healthcare for their family members.

If Texas wants to remain a global leader in energy production, innovation, reliability and affordability, the rising cost of energy needs urgent attention.

Grid Resilience Is Mandatory

In addition to energy affordability, Texas frequently experiences extreme weather, making grid resilience foundational to its continued leadership in both local and global markets.

Between 1980 and 2024, Texas experienced 190 weather-related events with financial losses exceeding $ 1 billion. From hurricanes along the Gulf Coast to prolonged heat waves and drought, the state’s energy infrastructure is under increasing strain. These events necessitate that Texas invest in long-term planning and preparedness for its energy infrastructure.

Next Steps for Local Leadership

Texas needs to strengthen every part of its energy infrastructure. Leading locally means strengthening the grid by building out transmission, scaling battery storage, and deploying smarter, more responsive technology. At the same time, we need to make the market easier to navigate and ensure Texans are better educated and protected as they make energy decisions.

Additionally, as Texans become more informed about the energy landscape, it is crucial to equip them with the knowledge to use energy conservation tools such as programmable thermostats, mobile apps to monitor and adjust energy usage, shifting away from peak-hour usage and selecting energy plans without gimmicks or tricky clauses.

These important intersections are where Texas’ global leadership meets local impact in a critical time of change and transition in the Texas energy landscape.

Going Forward

Beyond addressing the critical issues of reliability and affordability at home here in Texas, it is important to recognize that they are also global. While we already export our energy products to the world, we have a unique opportunity to also export solutions in grid innovation, market design and technologies that are applicable to varied environments and markets around the world.

If we get it right, Texas will be known for not only producing energy but also for shaping how energy systems evolve globally. In order for Texas to lead both locally and globally, we need to focus on performance through smarter infrastructure, thoughtful policy and informed consumers.

Because true energy leadership isn’t just about how much we produce, it’s about performance, access and impact from Texas communities to the global stage, which is an imperative that goes far beyond Earth Day.

———

Sam Luna is director at BKV Energy, where he oversees brand and go-to-market strategy, customer experience, marketing execution, and more.

Extreme weather in Texas is not only increasing but also becoming more hazardous for communities, infrastructure, and the economy. Photo by Jarosław Kwoczała on Unsplash

Energy expert: What record heat and extended summers mean for Texans

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Earth’s third-warmest year on record occurred in 2025, reinforcing a decades-long pattern of rising global temperatures. This warming trend is increasingly reflected in regional weather patterns across the United States, particularly in Texas, where hotter summers, prolonged droughts, and heavier rainfall events are becoming more common.

A 2024 report from Texas A&M University highlights how these shifts are already reshaping weather conditions across the Lone Star State. The assessment analyzes climate and weather data from 1900 through 2023 and projects likely trends through 2036.

Its findings suggest that extreme weather in Texas is not only increasing but also becoming more hazardous for communities, infrastructure, and the economy.

A Rise in Extreme Heat
One of the most dramatic changes is the increasing frequency of extreme heat events. Summer temperatures in Texas have climbed back to levels not seen since the early 20th century, and projections suggest they will exceed those historic highs within the next decade.

Triple-digit temperatures are becoming far more common. In the 1970s and 1980s, most parts of Texas experienced relatively few days above 100°F in a typical year. By 2036, those days are expected to occur about four times as often, especially across North, Central, and West Texas.

Houston reflects that broader trend. Five of the 10 years with the most 100-degree days on record in the city have occurred since 2000, according to records dating back to the late 1880s.

The summer of 2023 was Houston’s hottest on record, surpassing even the historic heat of 2011. While short-term cold snaps still occur, climate data suggests extreme summer heat will become more frequent in the years ahead.

Heat waves are also starting earlier in the year and lasting longer. As of 2024, the average length of heat-wave season in the United States has increased by 46 days since the 1960s. Their frequency has also increased steadily, rising from an average of two heat waves per year in the 1960s to about six per year in the 2010s and 2020s.

Energy Grid Strain
Heat waves occurring earlier in the year and more intensely place increasing pressure on the state’s electricity system. When temperatures spike early in the summer, households and businesses simultaneously increase air-conditioning use, pushing electricity demand close to record levels.

In recent summers, record-breaking electricity demand has repeatedly tested grid capacity. Energy experts warn that if heat extremes continue to intensify, maintaining grid reliability will require expanded generation capacity, improved energy efficiency, and greater integration of renewable energy and battery storage. Fortunately, Texas has already made strides in these areas of concern.

Texas continues to lead the nation in clean energy adoption and grid modernization, particularly in wind and solar power. With more than 40,000 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity, the state ranks first in the country in wind-powered electricity generation, supplying up to 35% when blowing and as low as 0%. Much of this growth was driven by the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires utility companies to develop renewable energy in proportion to their market share. The policy originally set a goal of generating 10,000 MW of renewable capacity by 2025, but Texas surpassed this target years ahead of schedule due to rapid investment and expansion.

Solar energy is also growing quickly. Texas has officially overtaken California as the country’s. leader in utility-scale solar, according to recently released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With over 37 GW of capacity, Texas now leads in new solar installations, supported by large-scale solar farm development and favorable policies that continue to diversify the state’s energy mix.

To build a more resilient and cost-effective power system, Texas is working to integrate wind and solar generation while strengthening grid reliability. Efforts include regulatory reforms, mandates for improved power infrastructure, and the deployment of renewable energy storage solutions. A recent report from the Solar Energy Industries Association indicates that Texas is on track to surpass California this year as the nation’s leader in energy storage capacity, driven largely by the rapid growth of battery storage facilities across the state. Alongside renewable expansion, the state also added 3,410 MW of natural gas–fueled power in 2024 to support growing electricity demand.

Economic Consequences
Extreme heat also has measurable economic impacts. For every 1-degree increase in the average summer temperature, Texas’ annual nominal GDP growth rate slows by about 0.4 percentage points. Because Texas already experiences hotter summers than most of the country, rising temperatures affect the state’s economic growth about twice as much as they do in the rest of the United States. Additional warming compounds the strain on productivity, infrastructure, and energy costs.

Some industries are more sensitive to heat than others. Construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and outdoor services often experience productivity losses during prolonged heat waves.

The effects were already visible during the record-breaking summer of 2023, when cities such as Houston, Dallas, and El Paso experienced prolonged stretches of triple-digit temperatures. Surveys conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found that roughly one-quarter of businesses responding to the Texas Business Outlook Surveys reported reduced revenue or production because of the heat.

The hardest-hit sector was leisure and hospitality, where outdoor activities and tourism often decline during extreme temperatures. However, businesses across manufacturing, retail, and services also reported disruptions.

Environmental and Infrastructure Stress
In addition to heat, there are growing risks related to drought, wildfire conditions, and urban flooding.

Extended heat waves tend to worsen drought conditions by increasing evaporation and reducing soil moisture. Lower water levels in lakes and reservoirs can lead to water restrictions for cities and agricultural producers, especially in regions that rely heavily on surface water supplies.

Dry conditions also increase the likelihood of wildfires, particularly across West Texas and the Hill Country. Strong winds, dry vegetation, and extreme heat can quickly turn small fires into fast-moving blazes that threaten homes, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

At the same time, Texas is experiencing an increase in severe rainfall events, which can overwhelm drainage systems in rapidly growing urban areas. Cities with large amounts of pavement and development are especially vulnerable to flash flooding when heavy rain falls in short bursts.

Along the Gulf Coast, rising sea levels are adding another layer of risk. Communities near Galveston Bay and other low-lying coastal areas face increasing threats from storm surge and high-tide flooding.

Preparing for a Hotter Future
Climate experts emphasize that over the next decade, Texans are likely to face more frequent heat waves, higher energy demand, and greater environmental stress.

Adapting to these changes will require a range of responses, including strengthening infrastructure, expanding water management strategies, improving urban planning, and enhancing emergency preparedness for extreme heat and flooding.

While the challenges are significant, understanding these trends now gives policymakers, businesses, and communities time to prepare. As the state’s population and economy continue to grow, resilience to extreme weather is an increasingly important priority for Texas in the years ahead.

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Sam Luna is director at BKV Energy, where he oversees brand and go-to-market strategy, customer experience, marketing execution, and more.

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4 Houston researchers awarded projects in DOE's Genesis Mission

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The U.S. Department of Energy has named the nearly 300 projects selected under the Trump Administration's Genesis Mission, which aims to address some of the largest science and technology challenges in the country. The group features four projects from Houston universities and companies.

The initiative aims to unite government, industry, academia and philanthropy to lead to breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery and national security, according to a release.

The selected projects feature 87 led by DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Laboratories, 168 led by universities, 19 led by companies and 4 led by nonprofit organizations—totalling 342 participating institutions.

“America has no shortage of bold ideas or talented scientists, and the response to the Genesis Mission proves that,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a news release. “The 278 projects selected today represent the very best of our nation’s scientific enterprise. The remarkable number of high-quality proposals we received demonstrates that America’s innovation pipeline is strong, and it points to even greater opportunities for future investment and continued expansion of the Genesis Mission portfolio.”

Twelve Texas-based projects were selected among the 278. The Houston projects and their researchers include:

Caroline Ajo-Franklin

Ajo-Franklin recieved a Phase I grant for her project "Predictive AI to Map Point Mutation Effects on Protein Function: Measurement and Biosynthesis of Isoprenoids." Ajo-Franklin is a professor of biosciences at Rice University, a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research and member of the Rice Synthetic Biology Institute. The project aims to accelerate the engineering of microbes that can produce isoprenoids, which are natural compounds that could replace petroleum-derived fuels, solvents and materials.

“This project creates a continuous feedback loop in which AI guides experiments and each experiment generates more detailed data to better hone the AI model,” Ajo-Franklin said in a news release. “In addition, it demonstrates the extraordinary star power Rice has recruited in protein engineering and synthetic biology.”

Anastasios Kyrillidis

Kyrillidis recived a Phase I grant for his project "Cracking the VQA Optimization Bottleneck: AI Methods for Quantum Chemistry and Materials." Kyrillidis is the Noah Harding Associate Professor of Computer Science at Rice and a member of the Ken Kennedy Institute. The project aims to develop AI tools to resolve bottlenecks in quantum computing for chemistry and materials research.

“Our goal is to replace fragile, hand-tuned optimization methods with intelligent systems that can learn from quantum computations while still operating within frameworks that provide strong mathematical guarantees,” Kyrillidis added in the release.

Myoungkyu Lee

Lee received a nearly $750,000 Phase I grant for his project "Physics-Informed AI Surrogates for Turbulent Forced Convection in Energy System." Lee is an assistant professor of mechanical aerospace engineering at the University of Houston. Lee will collaborate with researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of Pennsylvania on the project and develop artificial intelligence to accelerate the design of materials for advanced nuclear fission and fusion reactors.

“The goal is to develop a tool that runs much faster than today’s most detailed simulations while keeping errors small,” Lee said in a news release. “If successful, the approach could support better heat-transfer predictions for molten-salt reactor design and provide a starting point for studying heat removal in fusion blankets. This is one contribution among many toward reliable, carbon-free energy.”

Amit Padhi

Padhi recieved a grant for his project "Probabilistic Inference of Subsurface Fracture Connectivity for Stimulation Control with Physics-Informed AI." Padhi is a scientific advisor for Halliburton.

The DOE first called for applications for the Genesis Mission in March. At the time, the DOE shared that it would grant approximately $293 million to the selected teams via Phase I awards, ranging from $500,000 to $750,000 for nine-month project periods, and Phase II awards, for $6 million to $15 million over a three-year project period.

Since then, however, the initiative has grown with 15 federal agencies now granting research awards and funding opportunities under the Genesis umbrella. The White House announced this week that it had secured more than $5 billion in federal commitments to expand the initiative.

SLB teams with Liberty Energy on modular power for AI data centers

ai alliance

Houston-headquartered SLB and Denver-based Liberty Energy Inc. announced a strategic agreement this month to support the rapid growth of new data center capacity.

Under the agreement, SLB will supply modular data center infrastructure and oversee large-scale execution, while Liberty will provide modular power generation systems and behind-the-meter power management technology for developers looking to add capacity. According to Reuters, the power will come from natural gas generation.

“The bottleneck in AI infrastructure is no longer just compute. It is the ability to deliver infrastructure and power on the timelines the market now demands,” Gavin Rennick, president of SLB’s New Energy and Industrial business, said in a news release. “By bringing together complementary infrastructure and power capabilities, we will help developers accelerate deployment of new data center capacity.”

The companies seek to specifically offer the modular technologies in areas without traditional grid connections or where grid capacity is limited.

They also aim to improve the "efficiency, flexibility and environmental performance of future data center energy systems," potentially through solutions like hybrid power systems and digital energy management, according to the news release.

Goldman Sachs estimates that U.S. data center capacity will more than double from 31 gigawatts in 2025 to 66 gigawatts in 2027. Other reports predict that Houston and Texas will be home to a significant portion of the data center boom, with capacity in the city and the state also expected to double in the next few years.

“The scale and complexity of AI energy infrastructure is fundamentally changing how power systems are built and deployed,” Ron Gusek, CEO of Liberty Energy, added in the release. “Liberty’s comprehensive power service platform is engineered to meet this transition, as customers increasingly prioritize tailored, integrated solutions. Building on our long-standing relationship with SLB, we are excited to bring power solutions that address immediate capacity constraints while supporting the next generation of energy systems.”

SLB sold its onshore hydraulic fracturing business in the United States and Canada to Liberty Energy in December 2020 in exchange for a 37 percent equity interest in the company.

New Rice study details how carbon capture could reduce AI data center emissions

by the numbers

A new study out of Rice University points to carbon capture and storage methods as pivotal solutions to addressing emissions from AI-driven data centers.

The study was authored by Hon Chung Lau, an adjunct professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University and founder of Low Carbon Energies LLC, and Steve C. Tsai, an energy transition consultant at Low Carbon Energies LLC, and published in the journal Energy & Fuels.

According to the study, U.S. data center power capacity could more than quadruple in five years, growing from 40 gigawatts in 2025 to 169 gigawatts by 2030. Without proper regulation of emissions, the report estimates that carbon dioxide produced by fossil-fuel power plants supplying electricity to data centers could grow at the same scale, increasing from 90 million metric tons to more than 404 million metric tons over the same time period.

The researchers analyzed publicly available data on announced U.S. data centers, which included energy sources, locations, and projected power capacity before estimating data center-related carbon emissions based on each state’s electricity mix. From there, they examined whether those emissions could be captured and stored underground in saline aquifers.

The team estimates that 34 states have enough saline aquifer storage capacity to store more than 100 years of projected data center-related carbon dioxide emissions beyond 2030. Aquifers could store an estimated 59 million metric tons of data center-related carbon dioxide, or about 66 percent of the sector’s emissions in 2025. However, that calculation could grow to 299 million metric tons, or about 74 percent of projected data center-related emissions by 2030.

The researchers found that more than 90 percent of data center-related carbon dioxide emissions could potentially be mitigated through carbon capture and storage when out-of-state storage options are included, even though they note that carbon capture isn’t the only solution.

“It does show that the geology exists to make a meaningful impact, especially in states where data center growth is strongest,” Lau said in a news release.

Rapid growth in states including Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Illinois was considered in the study. According to the findings, Texas would need to add 25 gigawatts of power capacity by 2030 to meet projected data center demand, as data centers require reliable electricity 24/7.

“Data centers are becoming one of the defining energy challenges of the AI era,” Lau added in the news release. “The question is not only whether we can build enough computing infrastructure, but whether we can power it in a way that is reliable, affordable and compatible with decarbonization goals.”

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