INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE POWERED BY THE DCA
Can we keep the lights on , power cars and run data centres ?
Rich Kenny , MD , Interact , believes that we can ’ t keep the lights on , power cars and run data centres just with business as usual , but change is coming whether we like it or not .
The current acute energy crisis means that governments are doing everything they can to prevent a worst-case scenario of shortages and blackouts . All business users are encouraged to either reduce production or increase efficiency over the coming months in order to protect households from the real possibility of energy rationing across Europe . This prefigures the long-term picture for energy usage , although for different reasons .
Global governments are and should be continuing with their plans to transition to a renewable energy grid . A large proportion ( 80 %) of new investments are focused on carbon free electricity generation , from wind , hydro and solar power . However , the footprint of these technologies is significantly larger than conventional hydrocarbon-fuelled generation , and there are issues around the raw materials we will need for the infrastructure . Yet this less efficient form of generation will need to provide an increase in end product .
A word on the maths
Chris Goodall , author of What We Need To Do Now , shortlisted for the 2020 Wainwright Prize , writes extensively on the energy market and transition to a low carbon alternative . He estimates there will be an 81 % energy demand increase in the UK with the advent of electric vehicles ( EV ) and heat pumps . EVs will increase the electricity demand from 297.2 terawatt hours per year to 394.7 TWh ; heat pumps for 100 % of homes will raise the total to 505.5 TWh ( assuming no new homes ).
Other organisations ’ modelling echoes these predictions . The Climate Change Committee ’ s sixth carbon budget predicts electricity demand will increase by 50 % by 2035 . The National Grid in the UK forecasts electricity demand will double by 2050 as we move towards a low-carbon future . Whether the final figures are completely in line or at variance with these estimates , we know that the electricity needs of the future will be bigger .
As we move towards alternative sources of electricity , we need to understand the increased demand on resources . Land is a great example of this . Generating 200 megawatts of power requires 36km 2 of wind farm , 288km 2 of hydroelectric and 13.62km 2 of solar . Using Goodall ’ s projected figures for the UK ( 505500000 megawatts ), we would need 90,990,000 km 2 of land to generate our electricity for a year in a country that Wikipedia says has a landmass of 248,532 km 2 . Solar farms would need a more achievable 185,572km 2 – 75 % of the country ’ s landmass ( or we could increase nuclear power , which will take longer to put in place ).
Do more with less
As the energy demand rises , the data centre sector , which is reliant on a www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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