Data centres surpass urban homes in Ireland’s electricity consumption
The spike in demand, driven by low corporate taxes and tech growth, raises concerns about meeting climate goals, especially as fossil fuels still supply over 50% of Ireland’s electricity.
According to the Central Statistics Office, Ireland’s data centres consumed more electricity last year than all its urban homes combined. These centres used 21% of the country’s electricity, a fifth more than in 2022, surpassing the 18% used by urban homes.
Experts worry this spike could hinder climate goals in Ireland and Europe. Within the Irish tech hub, Google reported a 48% rise in emissions due to its data centres, threatening its green targets. With AI advancements, data centres could use 31% of Ireland’s electricity in three years, overtaking the 28% used by all homes.
Despite the rapid growth of data centres fueled by Ireland’s low corporate taxes, the country’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, which supply over 50% of its electricity, poses a challenge to environmental goals. Professor Paul Deane, a senior research fellow at University College Cork, highlights the need for swift renewable energy expansion, noting that while wind accounts for 34.6% of the power, solar is only at 1.2%.
Why does it matter?
The environmental impacts of data centres are already on the European Union’s radar. The European Commission recently adopted a new regulation requiring EU data centres to report key sustainability performance indicators starting in September 2024, aiming to increase transparency, enhance energy efficiency, and support climate-neutrality actions.
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