Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is one of the 15 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Look For in 2026. On January 15, Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google recently awarded three new long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) to Clearway Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN), as reported by Clearway Energy. This development is part of Clearway’s 2025 plan, which includes three projects in states including Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia. These projects total approximately 1.17 GW of carbon-free energy projects. As per the ...

Group 1 - TotalEnergies and Google have signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 1.5 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity from the Montpelier solar farm in Ohio, supporting Google's data center expansion [1] - The agreement aligns with Google's strategy to add new carbon-free generation to its operating grids, as data centers accounted for nearly 3% of global energy demand in 2024 [2] - TotalEnergies aims to deliver 35 GW of gross renewable capacity by the end of 2025 and exceed 100 TWh of net electricity production by 2030, leveraging a U.S. renewables pipeline of 10 GW [3] Group 2 - The partnership is expected to strengthen Ohio's digital and economic infrastructure, with new renewables playing a crucial role in stabilizing the grid amid rising data consumption [4] - TotalEnergies' growing roster of corporate offtakers includes major companies like Amazon and Microsoft, reflecting a trend of multinational energy users competing for long-duration renewables [5] - The commitment enhances Ohio's position as a data center hub, while TotalEnergies continues to gain traction in the U.S. power sector amidst a shift from traditional upstream players [6]

Core Insights - Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) focuses on Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to achieve its goal of providing carbon-free energy, particularly through long-term contracts for nuclear facilities and renewable energy projects via its Constellation Offsite Renewables (CORe) program [1][5] PPA Benefits - PPAs provide a steady, long-term income source by ensuring payments for power generated over a predetermined period, allowing businesses to support renewable energy initiatives [2] - CEG's CORe product enables efficient offsite renewable energy contracts, aligning with corporate sustainability goals [2] Strategic Partnerships - CEG has expanded its PPA portfolio with major corporations, including 20-year nuclear agreements with Meta and Microsoft [3] - In January 2025, CEG secured a contract exceeding $1 billion to supply nuclear electricity and energy-saving technologies for federal buildings, with plans to add over 1,100 MW of sustainable energy by 2028 [4] Industry Trends - Utilities are increasingly utilizing PPAs for financial stability and to promote renewable energy expansion, with companies like Vistra and Dominion Energy also relying on long-term PPAs [6] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates an earnings per share increase of 8.54% for 2025 and 25.99% for 2026 [7] Stock Performance - CEG shares have risen 33.1% over the past six months, outperforming the industry growth of 27.7% [8][12] - CEG is trading at a premium with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89X compared to the industry average of 20.51X [10]

Core Insights - Google's data centers have seen a dramatic increase in electricity consumption, more than doubling from 14.4 million megawatt-hours in 2020 to 30.8 million megawatt-hours in 2024, indicating a growth of over 113% in just four years [1][2][5] - Data centers are responsible for 95.8% of Google's total electricity usage, highlighting the significant impact of this segment on the company's overall energy consumption [2] - The company's power usage effectiveness (PUE) has improved only marginally over the past decade, reaching 1.09 in 2024, suggesting that further efficiency gains may be challenging to achieve [6] Energy Strategy - Google is committed to using only carbon-free electricity sources, which has led to substantial investments in various energy technologies, including geothermal, nuclear fission, and fusion [7][10][15] - The company has made significant renewable energy purchases, including 600 megawatts of solar capacity in South Carolina and 700 megawatts in Oklahoma, as part of a broader $20 billion investment in carbon-free power plants [11][12] - Currently, about 66% of Google's data center electricity consumption is matched to the hour with carbon-free sources, but there are regional disparities, with Latin America achieving 92% while the Middle East and Africa only reach 5% [14]

Core Insights - NuScale Power and Centrus Energy are significant contributors to the advanced nuclear technology sector, with NuScale focusing on small modular reactors (SMRs) and Centrus specializing in High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) enrichment [1][2] Market Overview - The global SMR market was valued at $5.81 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $8.37 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 4.98% from 2025 to 2032 [2] NuScale Power Insights - NuScale Power is experiencing growth due to advancements in SMR technology and an expanding partner base, including major tech companies and financial institutions [4][7] - The increasing energy demand, particularly from data centers, is a significant growth driver for NuScale Power, as these centers are expected to triple their energy use over the next three years [5][6] - NuScale Power's technology is well-positioned to meet the energy needs of hyperscale data centers, which are projected to account for 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028 [6] Centrus Energy Insights - Centrus Energy is benefiting from rising demand for nuclear fuel, especially HALEU, and has secured a contract extension with the U.S. Department of Energy for HALEU production through June 30, 2026 [8][9] - The Department of Energy's support for HALEU highlights the growing demand for this type of uranium, which is crucial for advanced reactors [8] Financial Performance - Centrus Energy's 2025 EPS estimate increased by 9.2% to $3.53, while NuScale Power's estimate reflects a loss of 41 cents [11] - Year-to-date, NuScale Power's shares have appreciated by 141.2%, while Centrus Energy shares surged by 188.2% [12] - Valuation metrics indicate that both SMR and LEU shares are currently overvalued, with SMR trading at a Price/Sales ratio of 119.46X compared to LEU's 7.23X [15] Conclusion - Both NuScale Power and Centrus Energy are positioned to benefit from the nuclear energy boom, but Centrus Energy appears to have a stronger earnings potential and demand for nuclear fuel, particularly HALEU [19]