Current estimates say data centers are responsible for about 2% of the U.S.’ energy demand, but Anthony DeOrsey, a research manager at sustainable energy research firm Cleantech group, projects data centers will be about 10% of demand by 2027.
See the full story at the Virginia Mercury.
More DMV News
Is Trump Setting Stage to Challenge Virginia’s Clean Economy Act? 5 Takeaways From His Push to Boost Coal
Cardinal News
President Donald Trump stood in front of a group of hard-hatted coal miners this week to announce that he had signed a series of executive orders aimed at “reinvigorating America’s beautiful clean coal industry.”
Maryland’s Sweeping New Energy Legislation is a Mixed Bag for Climate
Canary Media
Maryland just passed a raft of energy legislation designed to curb rising utility bills and boost in-state power generation. The reaction from climate advocates was mixed.
Maryland’s Building Emissions Rules Got ‘Trimmed’ This Session
Maryland Matters
Environmentalists who feared an extensive rollback of one of the state’s signature climate programs instead managed to escape this year’s legislative session with what they say are just revisions to the Building Energy Performance Standards.
Moore Issues Executive Order That Could Delay EV Sales Penalties
Maryland Matters
Gov. Wes Moore (D) issued an executive order Friday that could delay initial penalties for electric vehicle manufacturers who do not meet sales goals under a prescriptive state plan that is supposed to take effect next year.
National and International News
Trump’s New Reason for Canceling Grants: ‘Climate Anxiety’
Washington Post
Officials cut $4 million in funding to a Princeton University climate research center affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Commerce Department officials, who oversee NOAA, said they were canceling federal support to several of the center’s projects that predict how global warmth will disrupt Earth systems. The officials said the initiatives “are no longer aligned” with agency objectives.
Energy Demands From AI Datacentres to Quadruple by 2030, Says Report
The Guardian
The global rush to AI technology will require almost as much energy by the end of this decade as Japan uses today, but only about half of the demand is likely to be met from renewable sources.
Why Coal Won’t Solve the Looming Grid-Reliability Crisis
Canary Media
New solar, wind, and batteries could be a huge help to grid reliability. Instead, Trump is propping up a false solution: old, unprofitable coal plants.
Chemical Industry Seeks Exemptions from US Pollution Rules as Part of Trump Administration Offer
Associated Press
Industry groups representing hundreds of chemical and petrochemical manufacturers are seeking blanket exemptions from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic, and benzene.
Which Home Energy Upgrades Will Save You Money? We Did the Math
Washington Post
Residential buildings in the United States emit around 975 million metric tons of CO2 each year, or approximately 15 percent of the country’s total emissions. For the United States to hit its climate goals, those millions of tons have to go to zero.