This Week’s Top 5 Stories in Energy
How will the World's Biggest Data Centre be Powered?
The Texas Tech University System and Fermi's Plans are revealed for a huge energy campus in Texas with 11 GW of IT capacity from sources including nuclear
A multi-gigawatt energy campus is set to be developed by the Texas Tech University System and Fermi in Texas near the main nuclear weapons development facility of the US government.
Fermi America, led by former Texas Governor and US Energy Secretary Rick Perry, has teamed up with the Texas Tech University System (TTU System) for this initiative near Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.
The Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus will span 5,800 acres, housing 18 million square feet of data centres and generating up to 11 GW of IT capacity from natural gas, solar, wind and clean nuclear energy.
It says geotechnical work has already begun on the campus and it is expected to deliver 1GW of power by the end of 2026.
Digital Realty Hits 1.5 GW Clean Energy Milestone
Digital Realty’s 2024 Impact Report outlines 1.5 GW of renewables, with 185 centres running on 100% clean energy amid broad push for sustainable operations.
Digital Realty sets out its 2024 environmental achievements with a clear focus on clean energy, resource conservation and global climate responsibility.
As the world’s largest provider of cloud and carrier-neutral colocation and interconnection data centres, the company uses its annual Impact Report to give a detailed view of how it manages sustainability across its global footprint.
Top 10: Hydrogen Companies
The top companies supporting the development of a hydrogen economy for decarbonisation include Linde, Air Liquide, Air Products and Cummins.
Hydrogen is a highly versatile and clean energy carrier that is set to play an important role in the energy transition.
In sectors that are difficult to electrify, like heavy industry or transport, it can be used as a fuel that only emits water vapour with no CO₂.
While it holds a lot of promise, infrastructure and technologies still need progress for hydrogen to be viable as a lever for decarbonisation.
Across the world, companies are making progress in developing hydrogen and setting up a hydrogen economy.
Energy Digital has ranked 10 of the top hydrogen companies by market cap.
What Google's Environment Report Says About Energy
Constellation is working to restart Unit 1 of Three Mile Island, now renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, and hopes to provide Microsoft power from 2027.
In September 2024, Constellation Energy announced the signing of a 20 year power purchase agreement with Microsoft that set up the launch of the restart of Three Mile Island Unit 1, to be known as the Crane Clean Energy Center.
Constellation now says that the nuclear power plant is on track to restart ahead of schedule and will add US$16bn to Pennsylvania’s GDP.
Three Mile Island Unit 2 was the site of what the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission describes as the “most serious accident” in US nuclear power plant history in 1979, and the reopening of Unit 1 faces some opposition.
“As Microsoft continues its path to become a carbon negative company, this agreement brings a significant supply of new, reliable, carbon-free electricity back to the PJM power grid,” says Bobby Hollis, VP of Energy at Microsoft.
Rooftop Revolution: The UK Government's Roadmap for Solar
The UK Solar Taskforce has published the UK Solar Roadmap detailing how the country can reach its goal of nearly 50 GW of installed solar by 2030.
While the UK may not be known for its sunshine, its potential for solar energy is substantial, offering a way to mitigate environmental footprints and boost energy independence.
The UK has 18 GW of installed solar capacity, and the government aims to increase this to between 45 to 47 GW by 2030.
To support this ambition, the UK Solar Taskforce was set up and it has now published the UK Solar Roadmap.
The plan outlines that only about 0.4% of the UK's land would be necessary for ground-mounted solar setups, with a substantial opportunity existing for rooftop installations as well.
Chris Stark, Head of UK’s Mission for Clean Power at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, says: “Solar generation is the best example of a clean technology that can bring substantial bill savings and energy system benefits at multiple scales, from household rooftops to efficient, well-sited installations on the scale of whole power stations.
