AI May Gobble Up Every Available Electron In Its Quest To Sell Us More Stuff

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The week, King Donald The First, the undisputed monarch of Mar-A-Loco, pledged 90 billion federal dollars stolen repurposed from nutrition programs for poor children, Medicaid for poor Americans, and subsidies for wind and solar programs to help massively wealthy companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon build the infrastructure America needs in order to achieve AI dominance. That’s some pretty amazing government efficiency right there.

Recently, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta, the parent company of Fakebook, will invest 72 billion dollars this year in a series of new data centers that will be almost the size of Manhattan. Last year, his company grossed $165 billion, so you can see why it needs federal help. That amount of money is nothing to sneeze at, but a billion dollars today is not what it used to be, which is why Uncle Sugar — which just a few months ago was in a tizzy trying to slash government waste, fraud, and abuse — has cooked up a new way to waste billions of dollars while abusing American taxpayers.

The amount of electricity that will be needed to accomplish this cockamamie idea is staggering. Analysts project 10% of all the electricity generated in the US could be used to power data centers. Dan Gearino of Inside Climate News is on record as saying the forecasts for data center power keep growing, “which suggests the actual numbers in 2030 may be a lot higher than even the highest forecasts.”

Now, boys and girls, here’s a question. What happens in a world ruled by capitalist doctrine when the supply of something people want and are willing to pay for gets reduced? If you said, “the price goes up,” go to the head of the class. Some of the more dire predictions suggest the cost of electricity for ordinary Americans could increase by 50% or more over the next ten years. How’s that for making America great again?

OpenAI In Texas

On July 23, 2025, ArsTechnica reported that OpenAI plans to collaborate with Oracle to build a massive new data center near Abilene, Texas. “We have signed a deal for an additional 4.5 gigawatts of capacity with Oracle as part of Stargate. Easy to throw around numbers, but this is a gigantic infrastructure project,” wrote OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on antisocial media. “We are planning to significantly expand the ambitions of Stargate past the $500 billion commitment we announced in January.”

The new agreement is in addition to OpenAI’s initial $500 billion commitment announced at the White House in January to invest in 10 gigawatts of AI infrastructure over four years. Once again, we can easily see why Altman needs $90 billion from the federal government. Poor fellow must be wondering where his next meal is coming from. Perhaps he will offer jobs to some of the people being booted off Medicaid.

As AI continues to mushroom, readers of a certain age may have reason to recall a song by Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band in the 60s about an alien life form — an extraterrestrial eggplant, to be precise — that came to Earth and devoured Chicago. That feels a lot like what is happening with the AI movement as it metastasizes and threatens to devour every bit of common sense left on this planet. For aficionados of such musical weirdness, that song was written by Norman Greenbaum, who later went on to great musical acclaim with another song he wrote called Spirit In The Sky.

Energy Dome To Power AI

The CleanTechnica mail bag was filled to overflowing this week with notices from around the world about how the demand for electricity to power these massive data centers can be accomplished with green energy. All of the following tidbits are very nice but beg the question, “Will there be any renewable energy left over for people and industries that actually build stuff, instead of tracking every keystroke on the internet?#8221; The jury is still out on that.

My colleague Tina Casey covered an announcement from Energy Dome, the Italian startup that uses compressed carbon dioxide to store excess renewable energy for later use. The company has struck a deal with Google that could have international implications. The Energy Dome technology can store electricity for days, which makes it more dispatchable. Anything that allows renewables to be stored longer than the 4 hours or so that is normal for grid-scale battery storage is welcome news.

Mario Torchio, head of communications for Energy Dome said in an email to CleanTechnica the agreement with Google includes storage for its global operations in Europe, the US, and in Asia Pacific nations. “Google is also investing in Energy Dome — not just buying,” he pointed out.

AI In Brazil

Also in the mailbag this week was a note from Litalia Yoakum, a press agent for Elea Data Centers in Brazil, which is building a a 3.2 GW data center for AI called Rio AI City. She points out that unlike the US, which is rapidly rolling back environmental regulations so data centers can be powered with the dirtiest electricity available, Rio AI City will be powered by 100% certified renewable energy.

“The installation will have “climate resilience as its core mission — no rollbacks, no shortcuts,” she said. “As AI infrastructure becomes a major energy driver, the question is clear: Can we scale responsibly, or are climate goals the trade off?#8221; That’s a very cogent question and one that would never occur to the stooges in the failed US administration.

Yoakum said that more than 88% of Brazil’s energy grid is already supplied with renewable energy — primarily hydropower, but also including wind and solar. A significant feature of the the facility is an advanced waterless cooling system that virtually eliminate water consumption. The target for water usage effectiveness (WUE) is an ultra-low 0.2 L/kWh by 2026. The project is expected to create 10,000 skilled jobs in construction, energy efficiency, and the green tech sector.

Finland Leads In Clean Energy & Storage

Finally, I heard from Kenny Vesey, a press agent for Zero Carbon Future in Finland, which, “strives to accelerate the clean energy transition by scaling up cutting edge clean technology and forging international partnerships to meet climate goals.” Helena Sarén, who has an international reputation in clean energy, shared a number of ideas about how the coming AI revolution can be powered sustainably.

“Despite the uncertainty introduced by the One Big Beautiful Bill, the clean transition is slowing, but not stopping. Companies in the US still have until 2028 to complete renewable energy projects and qualify for full subsidies. For those who move quickly, this is a critical window to secure long term returns,” she said.

“While utility-scale renewables may…see a reduction in investments by up to 300 GW over the next decade, businesses that view sustainability not as a luxury but as a foundation for growth will remain globally competitive. In Finland, sustainability is seen not as an add-on, but as a starting point. The Finns have shown that emissions cuts and economic growth are not mutually exclusive, but instead increasingly interdependent.” That is an admirable philosophy, and one possible reason to consider moving to Finland if the politics in the US become even more toxic.

“American companies can…learn from global peers who treat clean transition as a pillar of business strategy. For example, both Google and Microsoft have built renewables-powered data centers in Finland that use waste heat to warm hundreds of thousands [of people]. With US household energy bills projected to rise 20% by 2030, and potentially 70% by 2035 according to Energy Innovation, it’s urgent to rethink energy affordability.

OBBB Winners

“There are three likely long-term winners in the US following the passage of the OBBB –nuclear energy, geothermal energy and storage solutions. These technologies continue to receive full investment tax credits in the US through 2033, making them attractive for investors and policymakers seeking reliability and carbon-free power that complement intermittent renewables,” Sarén said.

Finland’s Polar Night Energy is a pioneer in sand battery technology, which is being used to heat entire portions of its cities as oil is being phased out. In addition, the country is a leader in small nuclear reactor technology such as the one currently operating in the center of Helsinki.

Helena Sarén said in an email to CleanTechnica, “The way we see it, the transition away from fossil fuels is inevitable, and companies that act early to decarbonize will be best positioned as oil and gas decline. At one time dependent on fossil fuels, Finland has shown that adopting clean tech at scale is both possible and profitable.

“Collaborations between US and Finnish firms, particularly in nuclear energy, can accelerate the US clean energy transition and position both countries at the forefront of clean tech innovation. For US cities, states and businesses grappling with rising energy demands and climate targets, Finland offers a compelling model for balancing economic viability with environmental stewardship.”

For those who are squeamish about nuclear waste, Sarén did say that Finland is home to Onkalo, the world’s first operational deep geological repository for nuclear waste that promises to keep spent fuel rods stored safely for 100,000 years.

Swimming Against The Tide

The message from Sarén is clear. Don’t invest in things that do not qualify for financial credits, invest in things that do. Many readers in the US may not be ready to give up on solar and wind so easily, particularly because the wheel is always turning and what is out today may be back in favor in the future. Certainly countries other than the US, such as China, will continue moving forward aggressively with wind and solar energy.

The future is fraught with uncertainty. If there is a message here, it is that long term energy storage will be key to the clean energy revolution and may turn out to be the eggplant that ate fossil fuels. At least we can hope so.