Data:Newmark; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios

The energy transition is already off and running when it comes to commercial warehouses, according to a report from real estate company Newmark.

Why it matters: Automation and smart devices are contributing to warehouses' increased power use, just as many sites are transitioning away from electricity from fossil fuels.

State of play: Commercial warehouses are both labor- and capital-intensive, pushing major e-commerce and logistics companies like Amazon to adopt robots, smart meters and other technologies in the name of efficiency and improved margins.

Zoom in: The Newmark report found warehouse energy consumption is forecast to grow more than twice as fast as any other end-use sector from 2020 to 2050.

Yes, but: Though Texas ranks high in the report, recent power grid failures due to extreme weather leave its overall reliability an open question as those weather events become more common due to human-caused climate change.

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Newmark report finds automation increased warehouse electricity use - Axios