Germany’s ambition for sustainable data centres lacks sufficient renewable energy, critics say
n-tv / Clean Energy Wire
The German government’s aim to only use renewable energy to power new data centres in its push to double computing capacity by 2030 is unlikely to succeed due to a lack of sufficient renewable power, the country’s renewable industry and the Greens have said.
“The key question remains unanswered: where is the renewable electricity for the growing energy needs of data centres supposed to come from?”, renewable energy federation BEE said in reaction to the government’s new data centre strategy, which says new centres should exclusively run on green electricity.
The strategy includes a commitment to connect data centres to the grid more quickly and simplify planning and approval processes in a bid to boost digital sovereignty and competitiveness. “Germany needs more computing power,” said digital affairs minister Karsten Wildberger. “We want to become a leader in artificial intelligence in Europe and deploy this technology across the economy and society.”
Data centres’ electricity consumption is a moot point in Germany’s energy transition debate. The country’s official energy transition targets include raising the share of renewable electricity to 80 percent of total consumption by 2030. Additional demand from data centres would therefore require additional renewable energy installations. But since taking office last year, the government has lowered the country’s energy transition ambitions to cut costs, partly as a result of lower estimates for future electricity consumption.
The Green Party parliamentary group said the government is neglecting data centre energy efficiency in the strategy. “The AI boom must not be allowed to become a climate killer. With this strategy, however, the German government is primarily engaging in greenwashing.”
Given the rise in electricity consumption by data centres, the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut) previously called for clear guidelines on energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies.