Ireland's data centers now consume more power than city homes
For the first time, Ireland's data centers have outpaced urban homes in electricity consumption. Data centers, which are integral to the tech hub, accounted for 21% of the country's total power usage last year. In contrast, urban homes consumed 18% of power from the grid during the same period. The rising demand for data processing, could cause Ireland's data centers to consume around 31% of its electricity within the next three years, as per Ireland's National Climate and Energy Plan.
Escalating power demand raises climate concerns
The rising power demand from data centers has sparked concerns among experts, who believe it could hinder climate targets in Ireland and throughout Europe. Google, which has its European headquarters in Ireland, acknowledged earlier this month that its data centers contributed to a 48% increase in its overall emissions last year compared to 2019. This surge could potentially obstruct the tech giant's environmental goals.
Tech boom pressures companies to develop renewable energy
The expansion of data centers and tech companies in Ireland, largely due to its policy of low corporate taxation, is pressuring these firms to invest more in developing their own renewable energy supplies. Professor Paul Deane, a senior research fellow at University College Cork, expressed his concern by stating, "If we already had lots of wind and lots of solar, it wouldn't be a problem. We're still so reliant on fossil fuels."
