Research, analysis, and perspectives on the built world.
Powered land is a parcel marketed as able to receive utility power for a data center or other large load. The term has no standard definition, so the useful question is what evidence backs the claim: map proximity, a utility conversation, a will-serve letter, a completed load study, or signed agreements with a dated energization schedule.
November 11, 2026
The best way to evaluate an AI site selection tool is to test it on sites you already know and score what comes back: whether each finding traces to a source, whether power is reported as deliverable megawatts with a date, how fast a usable shortlist arrives, and who does the work after the screen. This scorecard gives data center developers, neoclouds and investors seven criteria and a simple test.
November 11, 2026 ·6 min read
When you buy an entitled or shovel-ready data center site from another developer, re-verify five things before closing: that the power position is current and transfers to you, that approvals match your project and have not lapsed, that studies are recent enough to rely on, that title and easements allow your layout, and that the schedule still works. This checklist covers what to ask the seller and what to check yourself.
November 11, 2026 ·6 min read
A gas lateral connects a data center site to a transmission pipeline so on-site generation can run on firm gas. Before relying on it, confirm pipeline proximity, firm capacity, an acquirable route, and a gas flow date that beats your generation date.
November 10, 2026 ·6 min read
Public Safety Power Shutoffs let utilities de-energize lines during high wildfire risk. Data center PSPS exposure follows the serving circuit, not just the parcel, so screen feeds against fire risk maps, shutoff history, and backup fuel autonomy.
November 10, 2026 ·6 min read
Data center sites near military installations, special use airspace, or radar can face height limits and mitigation requests. Screen proximity, inventory tall elements for FAA filings, and use the DoD Siting Clearinghouse for early informal review.
November 10, 2026 ·6 min read
Large data center campuses often require assembling several parcels from different owners. This guide explains how to rank parcels by criticality, structure options and contingent closings, run diligence across the whole assemblage, and set decision rules for holdouts, so the site is controlled as one buildable campus rather than a collection of separate deals.
November 9, 2026 ·6 min read
Natural hazards beyond flooding, including wildfire, extreme heat, seismic activity, high wind and tornadoes, affect data center design cost, insurability and uptime. This guide explains which hazards matter, which public data sources to use for a first screen, how each hazard changes the project, and the decision rules developers use to pass, price or reject a site before LOI.
November 9, 2026 ·6 min read
Data center sites near airports, heliports or military training routes can face FAA notice requirements and height limits that affect building height, generator stacks, rooftop equipment and construction cranes. This guide explains when 14 CFR Part 77 notice applies, how to screen a parcel before LOI, and how to sequence Form 7460-1 filings so airspace never becomes a late schedule risk.
November 9, 2026 ·6 min read
A heavy-haul route survey checks whether oversize equipment, such as large power transformers, can physically travel from a rail or port unload point to a data center site gate. It covers bridge ratings, clearances, turning radii, overhead lines, permits, and the final access road. Run it before site control hardens, because a site with confirmed power but an undeliverable route still misses its energization date.
November 6, 2026 ·6 min read