- What is AI data center power demand?: AI data centers need far more power per building than older facilities. Learn why, what it means for the grid and why demand forecasts are uncertain.
- What is behind-the-meter generation?: Behind-the-meter generation is power made on the customer side of the utility meter. Learn why large loads use on-site generation and what limits it.
- What is a BESS?: A BESS is a battery energy storage system that charges from the grid or a plant and discharges later. Learn how it is sized and what a BESS site needs.
- What is buildable acreage?: Buildable acreage is the part of a parcel a project can really use after flood zones, wetlands, slopes and other limits. Learn how carve-outs fit in.
- What is capacity factor?: Capacity factor is the share of its maximum possible energy that a power plant actually produces over a period. See the formula and a worked example.
- What is co-location of load with generation?: Co-location puts a large power user at or next to a power plant. Learn the two main forms, why developers use it and why regulators watch it closely.
- What is a colocation data center?: A colocation data center leases space, power and cooling to many customers in one building. Learn the main types and how they differ from hyperscale.
- What is congestion?: Congestion happens when power lines cannot carry all the low-cost power that wants to flow. Learn how it moves prices and what it means for a site.
- What is CREZ?: CREZ is the Texas program that built 345 kV lines from windy West Texas and the Panhandle to the big cities. Learn what it is and why it matters for sites.
- What is curtailment?: Curtailment is an ordered cut in power output or power use. Learn why generators and large loads get curtailed and what it means when choosing a site.
- What is an energization date?: The energization date is the day a grid connection is first switched on. Learn how it differs from a target date and why it is hard to pin down early.
- What is an energy community?: An energy community is an area tied to coal, oil or gas that can qualify clean energy projects for a federal tax credit bonus. Learn the three types.
- What is ERCOT?: ERCOT runs the power grid and wholesale market for most of Texas. Learn what it does, which parts of Texas it does not cover and why it matters for sites.
- What is an ERCOT load zone?: An ERCOT load zone is a pricing area for power users in Texas. Learn the main zones, how zone prices are set and how Voltane reports them for a site.
- What is a FEMA flood zone?: A FEMA flood zone shows the mapped flood risk of an area. Learn the main zone types, what the 100-year zone means and how Voltane handles unmapped land.
- What is 4CP, or four coincident peak?: 4CP is the ERCOT method that shares transmission costs based on demand during four summer peak intervals. Learn how it works and why loads manage it.
- What is gas-to-power?: Gas-to-power means making electricity from natural gas, often at or near the site that uses it. Learn what a gas-to-power site needs and how to screen one.
- What is a hybrid solar and gas project?: A hybrid solar and gas project pairs solar panels with gas generation, often with batteries. Learn why large loads consider it and what the site needs.
- What is a hyperscale data center?: A hyperscale data center is a very large facility run by or for a major cloud or AI company. Learn what sets it apart and what its sites need.
- What is an interconnection queue?: An interconnection queue is the list of projects waiting to connect to the grid. Learn how to read one and why queued megawatts are not spare capacity.
- What is large load interconnection?: Large load interconnection is the process a big power user follows to connect to the transmission grid. See the usual steps and how Texas handles it.
- What is a load study?: A load study is the utility analysis of whether the grid can serve a new large load. Learn what it covers and how it differs from a desktop site screen.
- What is locational marginal price?: Locational marginal price is the price of power at one point on the grid at one time. Learn its parts and why prices differ from place to place.
- What is the difference between a megawatt and a megawatt-hour?: A megawatt measures power at one moment. A megawatt-hour measures energy over time. Learn the difference with simple examples for loads and batteries.
- What is MISO?: MISO runs the power grid and wholesale markets across 15 US states and Manitoba, from the upper Midwest to the Gulf Coast. Learn what it does.
- What is the National Wetlands Inventory?: The National Wetlands Inventory is the federal map of US wetlands. Learn what it shows, why it is not a legal wetland ruling and how Voltane uses it.
- What is a network upgrade?: A network upgrade is new or rebuilt grid equipment needed before a project can connect. Learn how it differs from interconnection facilities and who pays.
- What is an option agreement?: A land option agreement gives a developer the right, but not the duty, to buy or lease land later. Learn the key terms and how ROFO and ROFR differ.
- What is PJM?: PJM runs the power grid and wholesale markets in all or parts of 13 states and Washington, DC. Learn what it does and how it differs from ERCOT.
- What is a point of interconnection?: The point of interconnection is where a project connects to the utility grid and ownership changes. Learn why its location and voltage shape a site.
- What is powered land?: Powered land is land marketed with a path to grid power at a stated size. Learn what the term covers, what it does not, and what to ask for in writing.
- What is a powered shell?: A powered shell is a data center building delivered with structure and power to the building, while the tenant installs the inside systems. Plain guide.
- What is queue position?: Queue position is the place a project holds in the line to connect to the grid. Learn why it matters, how it can be lost and what it does not promise.
- What is site control?: Site control is the legal right to use land for a project. Learn the common forms, why grid operators ask for proof and what the Texas rule accepts.
- What is site selection?: Site selection is the process of finding and ranking land for a project. Learn the steps for data centers and energy projects, and why power comes first.
- What is SPP?: SPP, the Southwest Power Pool, runs the power grid and wholesale market across the central US, including the Texas Panhandle. Learn what it does.
- What is a substation?: A substation switches power and changes its voltage. Learn the main types and why a substation near a site is a place to ask, not available capacity.
- What is Texas SB 6?: Texas SB 6 is the 2025 state law on connecting large power users to the ERCOT grid. Learn who it covers and what the adopted PUCT rule asks of them.
- What is time to power?: Time to power is how long a site takes to get electricity at the size a project needs. See what drives it and how Voltane estimates it for Texas sites.
- What are transmission voltage classes?: Texas transmission lines run mainly at 69, 138 and 345 kV. Learn what each voltage class is used for and why large loads look for higher voltage.
Also on Voltane: Guides · Compare · Worked examples · FAQ · Research · Find me a site · Analyze my site
Need a site, or have one?
Tell us what you need and Voltane finds, reports on and prices candidate sites in ERCOT. Or bring a site you already have for a path-to-power report (by request for now).