Google’s electricity demand has skyrocketed, with energy consumption from data centers doubling since 2020 to over 30 terawatt-hours. This staggering increase is driven by the growth of Google Cloud, Search, and YouTube, as well as the accelerating development of AI. While Google has committed billions to clean energy projects, its emissions have increased by over 50% since 2019, rising 6% in the last year alone.
In a bid to reduce its carbon footprint, Google has signed an agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to purchase 200 megawatts of power from their forthcoming first commercial plant. This deal represents half of the planned Arc power plant’s capacity and is expected to come online in the long-term category, according to Michael Terrell, Googles head of advanced energy.
The news highlights the urgent need for clean electricity to power data centers as energy demand and emissions balloon in the age of AI. While Google has set a goal to reach net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by the end of the decade, its current trajectory is decidedly the wrong direction.
Chris Martz
@ChrisMartzWX
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May 20 I hate the term “clean energy.”Solar and wind are only considered to be “clean energy” sources because of their low carbon load. Other environmental impacts are seldom, if ever considered.This characterization rests on the [false] premise that colorless, odorless carbon
EZ |
@FlameDefi
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11h Energy and Sustainability Fusion energy might see early commercial reactors, offering near-limitless clean power, though widespread adoption could still lag.Solar and battery tech will improve dramatically—think perovskite solar cells hitting 40% efficiency and solid-state
Doug Lewin
@douglewinenergy
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Jun 28 And this morning, as the sun came up, we hit 4,500 megawatts of battery charging.A reliable, affordable, clean grid, with domestic manufacturing of solar & batteries AND oil & gas production is all right there for us.But Trump and Congress are determined to kill it.
Ember
@ember_energy
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Apr 8 NEW | World surpasses 40% clean power in 2024, driven by a RECORD rise in renewablesSolar has DOUBLED in just three years, remaining the world’s fastest-growing source of new electricity and the engine of the energy transitionhttps://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/global-electricity-review-2025…#GER2025
Peter Clack
@PeterDClack
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Jun 14 Several trillions of dollars have been poured into renewable schemes like wind turbines & large scale solar energy projects, creating an environmental catastrophe now & for the future. It will take centuries to clean up this toxic garbage dump, once called the countryside. Most
Galvanize
@GalvanizeLLC
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Jul 1 India is set to 3x its power demand by 2050 and it’s choosing clean energy over coal.
@RockyMtnInst
shows solar + storage are now cheaper than fossil fuels, but India gets just 4% of global clean energy investment.That’s a gap – and an opportunity. https://rmi.org/insight/empowering-india…?
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