Data centers’ insatiable appetite for power has made headlines recently. As artificial intelligence and other forms of computing take off, the role of data centers expands and their need for vast amounts of power has become a sustainability issue for the industry.
Leaders appear to have grasped the challenge and are zeroing in on a solution. According to a recent survey, more company executives are looking to on-site power to help data centers meet their needs.
In April and November 2024, Bloom Energy surveyed a range of executives from large data center development companies. The leaders are responsible for making decisions about power systems architecture.
According to the leaders surveyed, approximately 30% of all data center sites are expected to use some on-site power as a primary energy source in addition to grid sourced power by the year 2030. That is more than double the figure from just seven months earlier.
The report noted there were more data center announcements featuring on-site power in 2024 than the previous four years combined.
The shift is coming at a critical juncture. According to the report, data centers are the largest driver of load growth in the United States and may require up to 8%-12% of the total demand by 2030, in contrast to only 3%-4% currently.
The report notes that 55 gigawatts (GW) of data center IT capacity is expected to come online in the next five years, and an additional 35 GW of data center capacity is also expected to be announced during that time.
Regarding fuel sources, industry leaders favor on-site, combined-cycle gas turbines in large A.I.-training data centers. Smaller operations are using simple cycle turbines, some of which are paired with batteries. Fuel cells are also popular because they are quick to deploy and produce fewer emissions.
The report adds that leaders are also bullish on other emerging technologies such as geothermal power, small modular reactors and gas generation with carbon capture and sequestration.
About The Author
LAEZMAN is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer who has been covering renewable power for more than 10 years. He may be reached at [email protected].