November 26, 2025
Sun vs Server Smackdown
Solar's growth in US almost enough to offset rising energy use
Solar’s big glow-up meets 24/7 power panic—commenters pick sides
TLDR: Solar grew fast enough to cover most of America’s higher power use this year, easing coal’s rebound. Commenters clash over subsidies and the “sunsets at night” problem—fans call solar democratizing, skeptics say 24/7 datacenters and battery costs mean ordinary consumers could pay more.
The Ars Technica headline says solar is almost covering America’s rising electricity use, with demand up 2.3% this year and solar up a whopping 36%—enough to handle over 80% of the extra juice, per EIA data. But the real action is in the comments, where it’s David vs. Goliath: home solar fans vs. the always-on data center crowd. One camp cheers solar’s “glow-up,” arguing it’s democratizing and breaks the grip of big energy. Another fires back: the sun clocks out at sunset, while server farms never sleep. Batteries? Great, but pricey, say skeptics. The subsidy debate gets spicy—some want fossil fuel tax breaks flipped to solar to “change the whole game,” while others warn regular folks will pay more if they don’t have panels and batteries. Meanwhile, the coal comeback earlier this year becomes the villain of the thread, with users dunking on “coal’s zombie arc.” Jokes fly: “Let AI sleep at night,” “Sun’s out, server’s out,” and “Battery under every Bed Bath & Beyond.” It’s messy, loud, and oddly hopeful: solar’s sprint is real, but the all-night power problem is the cliffhanger everyone’s arguing about.
Key Points
- •EIA data show US electricity demand up 2.3% year over year through the first nine months of 2025, down from an early-year surge of nearly 5%.
- •Solar generation grew 36% year over year over the first nine months, offsetting more than 80% of increased electricity demand.
- •In Q1 2025, solar grew 44% but covered only about one-third of demand growth; coal generation rose 23% as natural gas usage fell.
- •Solar’s expansion is likely displacing natural gas generation directly.
- •Weather-driven heating demand could further reduce total demand growth by year-end.