We all know the buzzword of the day — AI. AI is going to solve countless problems at it gets infinitely smarter and more useful. We just need to build bigger and bigger datacenters. Hence the reason companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Tesla are building or buying nuclear, natural … [continued]
The AI craze is threatening to overwhelm utility companies who don’t have enough electricity to power new data centers.
Two weeks ago, the news was filled with reports that Reactor 1 at the Three Mile Island nuclear generating station, which was shut down in 2019, will be refurbished and put back into service for another 20 years or more. Its sole customer will be Microsoft, which needs a lot … [continued]
The surviving nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island will be restarted to make electricity to power Microsoft data centers.
A solar energy array. Environmental groups are calling on Microsoft to bypass a planned gas-powered electricity project and instead focus exclusively on solar and wind power for its data center in Racine County. (Photo courtesy of the National Center for Appropriate Technology and the Agrisolar Clearinghouse | USDA)
A coalition of environmental and health groups has called on Microsoft to rely on clean energy generation instead of a proposed expansion of methane-fueled power for its planned Racine County data center — projected to become Wisconsin Electric’s “largest electric load.” In an open letter to Microsoft, the groups charge … [continued]
One thing that frosts my shorts is a press release from some renewable energy developer touting how many homes a new installation can power. The dirty little secret no one wants to talk about is that much of the new renewable energy coming online today will be used to power … [continued]
The Kestrel high-performance computing system at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory accelerates energy efficiency and research at a pace and scale more than five times faster than NREL's previous supercomputer, Eagle. Finding ways to efficiently cool down data center facilities is important in a carbon-free future. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL
A struggle over data centers is taking place in Ohio, where the local utility fears it will build more capacity then be deserted by Big Tech.
Illuminators at Illuminate USA in Pataskala, Ohio, with the 1 millionth panel produced at the facility.
In addition to our electric vehicle news roundup, here’s a new roundup on clean energy and energy storage stories. From solar roofs to EV battery reuse for stationary storage in Spain to community solar and virtual power plants — there’s a lot to share. Read on for all the fun! … [continued]
Microsoft and Pivot Energy have joined forces to pump up to 500 megawatts into the rapidly expanding community solar market.
Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity. They promise to use only renewable energy, but is that realistic?
