Ireland has allowed itself to become a “data dumping ground” for big tech companies such as Amazon and Meta, who have a monopoly on clean energy generation for their data centres, activists claim. .
They argue that Ireland's cloud storage sector is growing so rapidly that it threatens the country's legally binding decarbonization efforts.
A study by independent experts commissioned by Friends of the Earth found that between 2017 and 2023, data centers absorbed the same amount of energy as was produced by wind power over that period. I did.
“Data centers are growing at a much faster rate than the renewable energy being procured to meet their needs,” said the report's authors, a professor at the University of California, who specializes in sustainable energy and energy systems modeling. Professor Hannah Daly from College Cork said:
She found that electricity demand from data centers has increased by 22.6% since 2015, while electricity demand from other industrial sectors has increased by 0.4%.
The report states that energy demand from data centers to meet the growing needs of the internet and artificial intelligence will “exceed the energy demand of Ireland's entire industrial sector under a high demand scenario” by 2030.
According to government data released in July by the Central Bureau of Statistics, total energy use by data centers has increased by 5% in 2015. 21% of national consumption in 2023.
Friends of the Earth is now calling on the Irish government to reconsider its data center expansion policy.
Gerry Mac Evilly, the charity's head of policy change, said: “This expert research shows that data center expansion is in some way wise and sustainable from both a climate and energy security perspective. “It completely blew away the PR view that there was one.” “They are adding fuel to the fire and increasing our dependence on fossil gas and gas networks.”
He said the state's investments in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, are “designed to free communities from pollution from expensive fossil fuels and are shortsighted to the unbridled expansion of one giant industry.” “It's not about contributing to the cause,” he added.
The Daily report also said that “dozens of data centers” are seeking to connect to the natural gas grid, which is heavily dependent on supplies from the UK and Norway, “to overcome local power grid constraints.” It was also revealed that there was.
“This will prolong Ireland's dependence on fossil fuels and prevent us from achieving a legally binding carbon budget,” Mr Daly said. “This highlights the need for policy interventions to ensure renewable energy displaces fossil fuels, rather than creating new demand.”
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Data center expansion in Ireland will gain increased attention due to new EU AI legislation requiring countries to publish figures on the energy usage of general purpose AI.
The EU is also finalizing rules for monitoring data center energy performance, including energy and water usage.
In August, South Dublin County Council refused planning permission for Google Ireland to build a new data center in a business park. The company cited “insufficient existing capacity on the power grid and lack of significant on-site renewable energy to power data centers” as reasons for the decision.
Mr Eyregrid, the former chief executive of Power Grid Ireland, said on Sunday that the commentary on data centers was “inaccurate, misinformed and damaging to the national interest”. He told Business Post that the level of demand was “healthy” for a growing economy and would help finance offshore wind farms.
He said there was no need to worry about the predicted 30% increase in electricity demand if the government could achieve AirGrid's recommended 50% increase in energy generation by 2030.
