On episode 278 of The Green Insider, Preston Ochsner discussed the current state of renewable energy in Texas, specifically focusing on the retail energy sector and the potential for growth within the grid. As Founder and CEO of Ochsner Interest, he highlighted two main bottlenecks in the system:
- Generation Side: A large number of renewable projects are in the queue.
- Load Side: A significant number of data center and hyperscaler projects are in the queue.
Preston estimated that around 75% of the 10,000 megawatts in the Dallas County queue and around 25% of the 389,000 megawatts in the ERCOT queue would be completed in the next two years. They also discussed the potential for industrial manufacturing load to increase due to current policies and regulations.
Preston and Mike discussed the potential growth of vertical farms and indoor farming, which could significantly impact the grid due to their high productivity. Mike pointed out that a 1-acre vertical farm can produce as much as a 40-acre traditional farm, and this trend is expected to grow as these farms currently only make up 3 to 5% of the market. They touched on the emerging marijuana industry in Oklahoma, which could further strain the grid. Mike suggested that in the next 12 to 18 months, the conversation around the energy market might change due to the rapid growth of these industries.
Mike and Preston discussed the potential for identifying valuable projects from a pool of 1,952, specifically for hyperscalers. Preston expressed confidence in their ability to sift through these projects and find valuable opportunities.
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