Massachusetts Data Center News

May 8, 2026

Interview: Unison Energy CEO on Data Centers Turning to On-Site Power

Unison Energy named Mariko McDonagh Meier as CEO in January 2026.

Main announcement: Unison Energy appointed Mariko McDonagh Meier as CEO in January 2026, and the company is positioning its behind-the-meter CHP and microgrid model to supply large energy users—especially data centers—facing interconnection delays.
Background and details:On-site, dispatchable natural gas generation (turbines/engines) is being contracted under long-term (typ. 20-year) agreements, with pipelines spanning hundreds of megawatts to gigawatts, phased builds (phase one often 50–100 MW), and historical contract-to-commissioning timelines of about two years (subject to 70-week equipment lead times); recent deployment example includes a CHP project with General Mills in Missouri.

May 8, 2026

World-leading climate centre takes Trump administration to court

UCAR (the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) has sued the US government and asked a court to freeze plans to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Main action:UCAR (a coalition of around 130 universities) sued the government in March and on 3 April asked a US district court judge to freeze plans to transfer stewardship of NCAR’s supercomputing centre in Cheyenne, Wyoming; a court hearing took place on 7 May and Judge R. Brooke Jackson said he would issue a decision “as promptly as possible”.
Background and timeline: Documents show the White House budget office instructed the NSF in November to begin restructuring NCAR to align with Administration priorities; the NSF requested proposals and public comments (deadline 13 March) but told NCAR officials on 12 February that it had decided to transfer the supercomputing centre; UCAR argues the process is a “sham process” while the NSF says “a final decision has not been made to transfer stewardship.”

May 6, 2026

UC Names Katherine Yelick to Head Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The University of California Board of Regents approved Katherine Yelick as the next director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, effective July 1.

Appointment details: The Board of Regents approved Yelick following a national search and on the recommendation of UC President James Milliken; her appointment begins July 1, and she will replace departing director Mike Witherell.
Background and credentials: Yelick is currently Vice Chancellor for Research and Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley, served as NERSC director (2008–2012), led Berkeley Lab’s Computing Sciences Area (2010–2019), oversaw construction of Shyh Wang Hall (opened 2015), and played lead roles in the Exascale Computing Initiative (2016–2024) and DOE AI/big-data strategy work.

May 5, 2026

Meta’s Space Solar Bet Spotlights AI Power Gap

Meta has announced partnerships with Overview Energy and Noon Energy to pursue space-based solar power (SBSP) and long-duration energy storage as long-term capacity solutions, with initial orbital demonstrations targeted for 2028.

Main announcement and timing: Meta is pursuing SBSP and long-duration storage via deals with Overview Energy and Noon Energy, targeting demonstrations planned for 2028; these efforts are described as a long-term capacity bet rather than an immediate fix for AI-driven power demand.
Background and context: Near-term constraints include US grid interconnection delays (~5 years on average per LBNL) and transmission limits; Meta already has >30 GW of contracted renewable energy and 7.7 GW of nuclear capacity through partnerships with Constellation Energy, TerraPower, Oklo, and Vistra, while experts note SBSP remains largely theoretical and multiyear due to technical, efficiency, and deployment cost challenges.

May 5, 2026

Meet the academics refusing to use generative AI

Several researchers have announced they are abstaining from using generative AI tools.

Main action: Several individual researchers (including Danielle Crowley at Bangor University, Hugh Possingham at the University of Queensland, Audrey Moores at McGill University, Tanisha Jowsey at Bond University, Juan Rocha at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Michaela Socolof at MIT and Elizabeth Wolkovich at the University of British Columbia) say they are purposefully abstaining from using generative AI because of concerns about copyright/consent, transparency of training data, accuracy/hallucinations, and environmental impacts; some have adopted explicit policies (for example, Wolkovich will not chair defences or join committees where students use genAI for writing).
Background and evidence: Surveys and studies cited include a Nature survey of ~5,000 researchers showing high acceptance for AI editing but far lower use for text generation, an Elsevier survey of 3,234 researchers reporting 58% use of AI, and a Patterns study estimating 2025 global AI system footprints of 32.6–79.7 million tonnes CO2 and 312.5–764.6 billion litres of water; other factual details include specific examples of AI errors (hallucinated citations and incorrect molecular depictions) and published commentaries calling for restrictions on genAI in chemistry and qualitative research.

May 4, 2026

Group Targets Longmeadow Municipal Broadband Plan

An out-of-town advocacy group, Mass Priorities, has launched a campaign urging residents to oppose a proposed municipal broadband project in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

Main action: Mass Priorities has been knocking on doors, sending postcards, and distributing flyers to persuade residents to oppose the municipally supported fiber network proposal in Longmeadow.
Project details & local context: The proposal centers on building a municipally supported fiber network to improve internet reliability and speed; local officials have promoted the initiative as a solution to persistent connectivity issues. The article provides no specific timelines, costs, or implementation partners.

May 1, 2026

Policy Problems Aside, Solar Continues to Shine

Nextpower has announced a multi-year steel-frame supply agreement with Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries.

This agreement is a multi-year steel-frame supply agreement in which Nextpower will supply more than 1 GW of steel frames, scalable to up to 3 GW over a three-year period, to support module manufacturing at Jinko Solar’s Jacksonville, Florida facility; the U.S. Department of the Treasury guidance notes U.S.-made steel frames can add 6% to a tracker project’s domestic content calculation.
Context and other recent announcements: The article reports multiple recent deals and industry developments — US Modules opened a College Station facility with Production Line 1 (~400 MW annual capacity, scalable to ~1.4 GW); Swift Solar acquired Meyer Burger assets to accelerate GW-scale HJT/perovskite-silicon manufacturing in the U.S.; industry data cited includes the EIA forecast to 424 TWh by 2027, China’s ~1,300 GW capacity and >80% supply-chain share, and AI/hyperscalers signing >30 GW of solar PPAs since 2023. The piece is a reporting/analysis article by POWER (Darrell Proctor).

Apr 30, 2026

VOICES: Detroit can lead the nation on climate justice — if we put people first

A Detroit environmental advocate has proposed expanding the city’s Office of Sustainability into an Office of Climate, Infrastructure, and Sustainability and creating a chief climate officer who reports directly to Mayor Mary Sheffield.

Main proposal: Expand Detroit’s existing Office of Sustainability into an Office of Climate, Infrastructure, and Sustainability led by a chief climate officer reporting directly to the mayor; establish a Climate Justice Community Advisory Board with one resident representative from each council district; direct departments with inspection/enforcement authority (Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental; Detroit Water & Sewerage Department; Detroit Police Department; Health Department) to prioritize enforcement against industrial polluters.
Context and implementation details: The author frames this as an opinion/agenda (not an official city announcement) informed by the Rise Higher Detroit survey and an Obama Foundation convening; recommends that many items could begin by mayoral executive order while others require partnership with City Council; calls for city land-use guardrails on data centers and an effective pause on city-owned land uses “until clear guardrails are in place for community benefit, energy demand, and rate impacts.”

Apr 28, 2026

Fusion Energy Group Seeks PJM Connection for First Commercial Power Plant

Commonwealth Fusion Systems has submitted an interconnection application to PJM Interconnection to connect its planned ARC (Fall Line Fusion Power Station).

Main announcement: CFS submitted a Cycle 1 interconnection application to PJM Interconnection to connect its planned 400-MW Fall Line Fusion Power Station (ARC) sited on 100 acres at the James River Industrial Park, Chesterfield County, Virginia, with a target to deliver electricity to the grid in the early 2030s; PJM serves more than 65 million customers across 13 states and the District of Columbia and CFS says this is the first fusion power plant developer to request interconnection with a major grid operator.
Background and details: CFS has raised almost $3 billion since 2018, secured pre-construction milestones including a conditional use permit (2025), brought Dominion Energy on as a utility partner, signed offtake agreements with Google (2025) and Eni, and received a $15-million DOE Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program award and a $3.7-million ARPA-E grant; the PJM Cycle 1 process includes a 90-day application review followed by scheduled Decision Points for engineering studies and potential network upgrades.

Apr 27, 2026

Residents left furious as their picturesque small town surrounded by forests and nature is set to be 'ruined' by sprawling data centers... but they're refusing to back down

Cornell Realty Management has applied to develop the Wildcat Ridge AI Data Center and multiple developers are preparing to build several large data centres in Archbald, Pennsylvania.

Project scope & developer action: Cornell Realty Management applied for the Wildcat Ridge AI Data Center campus (14 centres across 400 acres) and other proposals could see 51 data warehouses built on ~14% of Archbald’s land; developers claim the campus would be at least 1,500 feet from homes, create 1,280 jobs, be as quiet as a ‘normal conversation’, and use about 50,000 gallons of water a day.
Permitting, finances & community response: Developers state the project would generate $7 million in annual borough tax revenue and $23 million for the school system; residents and local officials (including Mayor Shirley Barrett) are actively opposing the plans via a Stop Archbald Data Centers Facebook group (~10,000 members) and council meetings. Additional state and local permits are required and construction could still take months to years to begin even if local approvals advance.

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