I keep hearing how everyone’s electric bills are going up with AI data centers near them. Why aren’t the companies paying the bill? Or is it building the infrastructure to accommodate them the issue?
I keep hearing how everyone’s electric bills are going up with AI data centers near them. Why aren’t the companies paying the bill? Or is it building the infrastructure to accommodate them the issue?
The US is very different in that regard. This will only be a detriment to the consumers, because extra capacity will be provided by fossil fuels.
But still, wouldn’t renewable assets suppliers have an incentive to install assets in these areas? If the spot price is high and they can produce “free” electricity, their earnings are a lot higher than the fossil fuel plants.
Our federal government is currently hostile towards renewables, and they’re sticking these data centers in states whose leadership largely aligns with the feds.
To build a new power plant, you need approvals and permits, and the fossil fuel corporations pay lots of money on astroturfing to sway public opinion, filing BS lawsuits to bleed the competition dry, or just outright bribing officials.
What you’re saying makes perfect sense if you’re not only planning one quarter at a time. Their goal is to maximize short term profits even if it hurts them in the long run.