Sources & methods
Our public explainers draw on government reports, public agencies, and published research. Open the original sources to examine their methods and assumptions.
Executive Order 22 reviewed September 21, 2026. Historical data sources reviewed September 9, 2026. Source dates and data years differ.
Signed September 18, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026
Official order. Section I.B.1 covers the community toolkit and nonprofit engagement; I.B.3 covers VA-LEAD; I.C covers environmental and siting work. Agency workplans, recommendations, and designation criteria are not all final regulations. This source does not establish a partnership with the Initiative.
December 9, 2024
State legislative research commission. Statewide sites and buildings: printed p. 5. Economic impact: pp. 14–15. Water use: pp. 61–63. Historical baseline, not a live inventory.
May 5, 2026
Federal electricity statistics. Commercial sales: 2019–2025, with 2025 preliminary. Peak demand: the PJM Dominion transmission zone, not a data-center-only or statewide series.
County inventory dated March 1, 2026; fiscal figures FY2026–FY2027
County government inventory includes buildings that are built or in construction. FY2027 revenue is a budget projection. These county figures cannot be substituted for statewide totals.
Published June 2026
The title says 2025 Update; publication was June 2026. National model for 2030, with reference and uncertainty scenarios. It is not a Virginia forecast.
June 2025
Peer-reviewed research by Lei, Lu, Shehabi, and Masanet. Explains why hardware, utilization, electricity supply, cooling, and climate change water use per workload.
July 2024
Federal Energy Management Program design guide covering computing equipment, cooling, electrical systems, and efficiency metrics.
Page updated July 10, 2026
Defines the attributes represented by a renewable energy certificate. A certificate is not a measure of hourly physical electricity delivery.
Page updated June 4, 2026
Explains the separation of a renewable certificate from the physical electricity. Supports the distinction between renewable accounting and physical supply.
Our evidence standards
Peak-load bars start at zero and share a 30,000 MW maximum. Job segments are proportional to 59,000 and 15,000. The national forecast uses a zero-to-900 TWh axis with a 521–843 TWh range and 649 TWh reference marker. The example calculator multiplies average MW by 24 or 8,760 hours; annual GWh divides MWh by 1,000.
Graphics use the published numbers and do not imply additional measurement precision. The approximate statewide count is retained as a 2024 baseline; the newer Loudoun inventory has a different geography and includes construction.
Found a newer source or a problem with a definition? Send the original reference and the specific claim to the initiative for review.
Our September 21, 2026 update places the earlier citizen proposal under review following Executive Order 22. Read the update and its source notes. Agency deadlines are distinguished from completed rules or delivered outcomes.
This is an independent citizen-led initiative. Links to public agencies and research institutions identify sources; they do not imply endorsement. No nonprofit tax status or introduced legislative sponsorship is claimed.
