1. New Orleans secures $9.3M grant fund to add 58 new electric vehicle chargers

Learning: "The City of New Orleans Office of Resilience & Sustainability announced Monday it has secured federal funding from the Federal Highway Administration's Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program."

Implication: "The new Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers will be distributed across the city, but exact locations are not yet finalized.

Publicly owned sites for the chargers were chosen based on input from a community survey conducted in 2021, city officials said."
‍

‍
2. Duke Energy Launches Voluntary Solar Program to Empower North Carolina & South Carolina Customers to Support Clean Energy

Learning: "The program, called Clean Energy Connection (CEC), uses competitively sourced solar energy to power the system. Customers can subscribe to a portion of this solar energy from Duke Energy’s CEC solar portfolio in 1-kilowatt increments, which are linked to the program’s solar facilities. The subscription fee is added to the customer’s regular electric bill each month."

Implication: "The program benefits all customers, and there is no financial impact on non-participating customers. If approved, the program will be available to all current and future Duke Energy customers starting in 2027, when the new solar facilities are expected to be operational."

‍

3. Trends from the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show

Learning: "At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the notably slick progression in technology generated excitement around the possibilities of what’s next, and the consensus is—anything and everything. And while artificial intelligence (AI) was last year’s buzz term, this year’s emphasis was on achieving results in real time, rendering obsolete any tech unable to keep up."

Implication: "The stars of the show were not the thousands of products on display, but rather the people—those behind the scenes and those who the tech is designed for."

‍

4. Modular design makes tech personal and repairable

Learning: "Modular design offers an alternative to disposable products by addressing two critical demands of modern consumers: personalization and sustainability. Developing modular systems can enable tech to adapt to individual needs and evolve alongside its owner by empowering users to customize, upgrade, and repair their products—allowing customers to forge meaningful, lasting relationships with their objects while saving money and reducing the amount of e-waste diverted to landfills."

Implication: "Repairable and customizable products foster emotional attachment by giving users a sense of ownership and responsibility, making them more likely to care for and maintain their items. And when products can adapt to evolving needs, they deepen connections with users."

‍

5. The data center market’s new era is marked by record growth

Learning: "Global data center construction will (again) reach record levels in 2025... The market is likely to expand as much as 20% through 2027."

Implication: "This year’s projects, which include both hyperscale and colocation segments, will require approximately $170 billion in construction loans and permanent financing over the next 12 months.

By its sheer scale, this growth — and the massive power demand that comes with it — is prompting both financing structures and data center project design to shift."