The Fastest MW 2026

Power is the biggest constraint on new data centers. The Fastest MW assesses clean power pathways by how quickly they deliver new megawatts, how much capacity they offer, and how firm that power is.

The fastest route is offtake from solar projects late in ERCOT's interconnection queue, with a roughly 27-month timeline in the reasonable best case. The report maps over 22GW that could start development this year and deliver in about three years, with recommendations for developers, utilities, regulators, and equipment providers.

• Offtake from late-stage ERCOT solar projects is the fastest path to new MW, at about 27 months in the reasonable best case.
• Over 22GW could start development this year and deliver in around three years.
• Clean power faces a fast-firm tradeoff: solar plus storage is the fastest option and the least firm.
• Nuclear and geothermal uprates offer the highest capacity factors but are limited by available sites.
• The best options sit outside traditional data center hubs, in ERCOT, the western US, and the Southeast.