Mounting voter opposition to AI data center construction is reshaping the 2026 US midterm elections. A June Yale survey shows 58% of registered voters oppose building data centers near their homes, a sentiment shared by 53% of conservative Republicans and 74% of liberal Democrats. More than 300 cities, towns, and counties have enacted bans or moratoriums. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 75 large projects were delayed or canceled, representing over $130 billion in investment. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the nation’s first statewide moratorium, and states from California to Texas are seeing growing protests and political fallout.
AI technology and policy support are transforming the virtual power plant industry, with 2026 marking the first year of large-scale deployment. Trading revenue now accounts for nearly 60% at leading companies. From January to July 2026, 49 virtual power plant procurement projects were awarded, with project scales rising to the billion-yuan level. The industry targets regulation capacity of 20 million kW by 2027 and 50 million kW by 2030. Companies are shifting to sustainable software-plus-revenue-sharing models, and private enterprises are entering the market, driving a shift from scale expansion to quality competition.