28 Building Infrastructure at Scale and Pace Unattributed quote China added 356GW of renewables in 2024 (277GW solar, 79GW wind) as total installed capacity surpassed that of thermal for the first time and accounted for 33.6% of generation as coal fell below 60% for the first time. New Chinese data centers must source at least 80% of their electricity from renewable energy by 2030 and verify this through the purchase and retirement of Green Energy Certificates (GECs), helping to maintain the pace of solar and wind deployment as current incentives are phased out. Rising power demand is creating grid bottlenecks, while permitting constraints are delaying the build-out of new transmission lines. Utilization of existing capacity is being enabled through better planning and operation of the grid, while battery storage is being used to increase utilization of existing generation, helping to shift peak demand from constrained parts of the grid. Tools like Alphabet’s Tapestry aim to modernize the electric grid using AI, making it more visible, reliable, affordable, and sustainable by building a “Google Maps for electrons”, mapping grid connections to optimize energy flows and planning, accelerating clean energy integration. Tools like Grid Planning and GridAware automate inspections, simulate scenarios, and support renewable site selection, resulting in 86% faster simulations and 30x more scenario runs, helping unlock stalled energy projects and reduce outages. Renewables follow the money Grid Constraints, behind the meter solutions and batteries While US tariffs and cuts in incentives have slowed down the pace of renewables additions, US solar output in June jumped 30.5% year-on-year and Chinese exports of solar modules rose 13% year-on-year to 236GW, shifting exports away from the US, with Europe importing almost 95GW and Brazil 22.5GW, while India and Pakistan each importing over 16GW. Geothermal is also gaining momentum thanks to the capital and demand for carbon-free energy for data centers. Google and Meta have both partnered with Fervo Energy to deploy enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) for 24/7 carbon-free power, but at 115 MW, geothermal deals show promise but remain small compared to hyperscale demand. According to Woodmac, about 1.5GW of Geothermal projects are in the current development pipeline of which 25% is targeted for data centers. 15GW of nuclear power plants to be built in the US - there’s been a flood of capital flowing back into the nuclear business