DATA ACT (USA)
To amend the Federal Power Act to exempt consumer-regulated electric utilities from Federal regulation, and for other purposes.
Key ENERGY LAWS in 2025–2026 include:
- Federal Deregulation: The DOE is cutting 47 regulations to lower costs and boost energy independence.
- BtM/DERs Optimization: New policies promote using BTM, such as rooftop solar and storage, to support grid reliability.
- Decentralized Power (DATA Act): Introduced in Jan 2026, the legislation allows manufacturers and data centers to build isolated energy systems outside of federal Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) oversight.
- Virtual Power Plants (VPPs): Increased support for integrating DERs, such as EVs and smart buildings, into VPPs to balance grid demand.
- Energy Storage Mandates: State-level legislation, such as in Oregon and Virginia, has made it easier to permit and site grid-connected storage.
- AI and Tech Regulation: Beyond energy, new laws are regulating AI-created content and deepfakes.
These regulations aim to reduce reliance on centralized power, encourage private investment in energy infrastructure, and utilize AI-driven control for demand flexibility.
The DATA Act of 2026 will eliminate outdated federal regulations and enable manufacturers, data centers, and other energy-intensive industries to build customized electricity systems without impacting existing power grids.
EU Data Act
The EU Data Act, in force as of September 12, 2025, is a regulation designed to unlock industrial and consumer data, allowing users of connected devices (IoT) to access, use, and share generated data. It curbs vendor lock-in, enabling easier switching between cloud providers, and mandates fair data-sharing contracts, impacting both personal and non-personal data across all sectors.
Key features of the EU Data Act include:
- User Empowerment: Users (both consumers and businesses) gain rights to access data generated by IoT products and related services, allowing them to share this data with third parties for repairs or other services.
- Manufacturer Obligations: Manufacturers must design products that make data easily accessible to users by default and, in some cases, provide data to third parties upon user request.
- Cloud Switching: The Act introduces measures to facilitate switching between cloud and edge data processing services, aiming to reduce vendor lock-in.
- Unfair Contract Terms: It prohibits the unilateral imposition of unfair contractual terms regarding data access and use, particularly protecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Public Emergency Access: Under strictly defined, exceptional circumstances, public sector bodies may request data from private entities to respond to emergencies or to fulfill specific, legally defined tasks.
Scope and Impact
The Act has broad, extraterritorial reach, applying to manufacturers of connected products and providers of related services available in the EU market, regardless of where the company is headquartered. Failure to comply could lead to penalties, as it introduces a new, comprehensive framework for how data is accessed, used, and shared, moving beyond the personal data focus of the GDPR.
