We are going to sample a few less-heralded things from the recently released IEA Global Energy 2026. The solar data is getting all the attention—in 2025 solar was, for the first time, the largest incremental source of new global supply—but other items are getting less attention.
Case in point, after years of declining energy-related CO2 emissions, and contrary to most of the world, the U.S. saw CO2 emissions surge in 2025, largely on the back of data centers.
Why data centers? While energy-hungry and fast-growing AI data centers are noisily promoting their move toward renewable sources, the cycle time reality is that they—and utilities—are mostly turning to captive natural gas, with the above consequences.