Google has announced a $2.3 billion investment in their data centers in central Ohio, including those in New Albany, Lancaster, and Columbus. These data centers form the “Columbus Cloud Region” and support various web services.
Data centers consume large amounts of electricity and can strain the electrical grid, with some data centers using as much electricity as 80,000 homes. AEP anticipates increased demand from large businesses like data centers, leading to concerns about sustainability and energy sources.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted emphasizes the importance of meeting energy demands sustainably, considering natural gas and nuclear energy as sources. Google executives highlight the energy efficiency of their data centers but are exploring ways to reduce their impact on the power grid.
Google aims to run its data centers on carbon-free energy by 2030 and has partnered with EDP Renewables for a community energy portfolio in Ohio. The Ohio Consumer Council is monitoring these expansions, ensuring accountability for energy use and protecting residential users from cost increases.
The OCC is concerned about AEP’s plan to pass on transmission costs from data centers to consumers, advocating for fair distribution of expenses. Maureen Willis from the Office of Ohio Consumers stresses the need to prevent large enterprises from adding significant costs to other consumers’ bills.
Overall, the growth of data centers in central Ohio poses both opportunities and challenges in terms of energy consumption, sustainability, and cost distribution. Collaboration between stakeholders is essential to address these issues effectively and ensure a balanced and environmentally conscious approach to powering data centers.
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https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/google-announces-23-billion-investment-in-data-centers/530-19ebc457-2e8d-4623-a899-8cd5ed17424f