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Data Center Infrastructure Podcast - Ep 4 - SB6, Batch Zero, and Texas Grid Power Explained

August 31, 2026 · 1 h 2 min

Show notes

Texas hit pause on the biggest data center buildout in history, and this episode explains why.

Lance and Eric welcome their first remote guest, Del Hilber of Atlas Energy Solutions, who brings 25 years in energy markets, from the Constellation trading floor in the Enron era to running one of the largest demand response portfolios in North America. Professor Del, as Lance calls him, breaks down Senate Bill 6 and the Batch Zero process, the new rules deciding which of the hundreds of gigawatts waiting to connect to the Texas grid are real and which are phantom loads, and what the governor's early August pause means for water disclosure, community outreach, and every project in the queue.

Plus, what a negawatt is, the Northern Virginia grid scare that rippled toward Chicago, why bridge power echoes the steel mills of the 1940s, cogeneration and using engine heat for cooling, and the PUE math where five saved megawatts is worth hundreds of millions.

Del's advice for the next generation closes the show. Find a mentor, and judge people by the company they keep.

If you use your phone, you use a data center. Get to know what's good and what's bad.

More at https://dcipodcast.com

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