Google: Latest figures on renewable power reveal data center operators increased purchases by 50 percent in a year
Apr 04, 2023 | Posted by MadalineDunn
Recent figures from S&P Global have revealed that the amount of renewable power purchased by data center operators has surged 50 percent in just a year. This latest figure now means that the sector utilizes two-thirds of the renewable power available to corporates in the US. The report highlighted that five tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft account for over 45 GW of the corporate renewable purchases worldwide, which accounts for over half of the global corporate renewables market.
The research found that Amazon topped the list with over 20 GW of wind and solar power. Google, Meta/Facebook, and Microsoft came in second, third, and fourth place respectively; while Iron Mountain, Digital Realty, QTS, and Switch came to around 1.5GW.
Google, Microsoft, Bulk, and Iron Mountain are all looking into hourly matching for their renewable energy needs, which has been identified as a more transparent and sustainable move, with greater traceability.
Some argue that data center operators and big tech are driving the renewable energy transition, and similar arguments have been made in the past regarding crypto. After all, there’s no denying that the industry is a major buyer of PPA agreements for renewable energy; the impact of this on the energy mix has indeed been significant. That being said, it is also true that data centers are huge consumers of renewable energy, which has wider implications and is something that there is an ongoing debate about in Ireland.
The research found that Amazon topped the list with over 20 GW of wind and solar power. Google, Meta/Facebook, and Microsoft came in second, third, and fourth place respectively; while Iron Mountain, Digital Realty, QTS, and Switch came to around 1.5GW.
Google, Microsoft, Bulk, and Iron Mountain are all looking into hourly matching for their renewable energy needs, which has been identified as a more transparent and sustainable move, with greater traceability.
Some argue that data center operators and big tech are driving the renewable energy transition, and similar arguments have been made in the past regarding crypto. After all, there’s no denying that the industry is a major buyer of PPA agreements for renewable energy; the impact of this on the energy mix has indeed been significant. That being said, it is also true that data centers are huge consumers of renewable energy, which has wider implications and is something that there is an ongoing debate about in Ireland.
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