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LAST UPDATE | 18 Feb
NEW DATA CENTRES will be required to have generators or storage, either on-site or nearby, that can match its level of demand as a backup.
This is in an effort to ensure that new data centres won’t put additional pressure on existing electricity supplies.
Last year, The Journal Investigates found that backup and emergency generators attached to data centres in Ireland are releasing huge quantities of carbon dioxide emissions.
Our investigation found that over 135,000 tonnes of CO2 was emitted from these centres in the last five years from generators not on the electricity grid.
This amount of CO2 is comparable to running roughly 33,750 cars for a year in terms of the climate pollution produced.
The proposed new rules for the industry will be published today by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).
The CRU said data centre demand growth to date has been heavily concentrated around the Dublin area, which has contributed to creating localised pressure on the electricity network.
New data centres seeking to connect to the grid will also be required to participate in the market and provide power to homes and businesses.
And while future data centres will be required to report on their emissions and the use of renewable energy, data centres will be allowed to use fossil-fuels.
The CRU said it is “trying to strike a balance between a number of competing demands and issues”.
“We are providing clarity to the sector on how it can connect to the grid over the coming years,” CRU Commissioner Dr Tanya Harrington told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
Harrington added that the CRU is asking ESB and EirGrid to collate data in order to show where the grid is constrained, “so that those investing will have a clear picture of where they can easily connect to the system or where there are constraints”.
She added that the draft decision is “working towards the government’s twin objectives of decarbonisation and digitalisation”.
However, Harrington said that it is a “matter for the data centres themselves to choose how they fuel and power themselves”.
“We’re requiring them to participate in the market, and that means that the most efficient plant, the cleanest plant, gets dispatched first,” she added.
“So there’s a number of incentives to try and incentivise the data centres who are constructing to do it in the greenest fashion possible.”
Research from University College Cork in December found that electricity demand from data centres has grown at an annual rate of almost 23% since 2015.
Electricity demand of other sectors, including transport, residential and commercial, and public services, grew by less than 0.5% over the same period.
It’s estimated that the data centre sector will continue to grow in the coming years, with demand from contracted data centres projected to increase from 21% of national electricity demand in 2023 to 30% by 2032.
Harrington said she understands these concerns but added that “our climate objectives are very ambitious, and we are working to develop an abundant source of renewable energy off the west coast of Ireland and bring that onshore”.
However, she said this will “take some time because we have to build the infrastructure to do that, which is why investment in the grid is so important”.
She added that progressing “both onshore and grid reinforcement supports will leave us in a situation where we have a greater abundance of renewable energy”.
Harrington further remarked that the draft decision “tries to meet our emissions targets and ensure there’s a continued investment in what is the enabling infrastructure for a knowledge rich economy”.
The CRU said it has “engaged heavily with stakeholders”.
“This is a draft decision, so it’s out for public consultation for six weeks, and we very much look forward to receiving the feedback from the industry,” said Harrington.
Unsure of what exactly is happening with the earth’s climate? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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You’re late sharing this clip – it’s been doing the rounds for a while – but it is rather wonderful!
Re the definitions of “sexism” & “misogyny,” I think she is absolutely right to keep the focus on behaviour rather than intention.
No one can know another’s intentions or subjective feelings, but words and actions are clearly visible & verifiable & therefore subject to fair judgment.
It is usually the ugly women that complain about sexism. You would not hear this sort of nonsense from Cheryl Cole or Rihanna – two stunners.
What modelling agency employs you Patrick?
He also called her a witch and a man’s bitch. Don’t get so offended on behalf of men while making another sexist side swipe at women. Sometimes it’s sexism.
I dunno, saw the pictures of rihanna a while ago, she looks bet down , must have been why crhis brown dumpe her
Ok Stephen we can ditch Rihanna as well and use Alessandra Ambrosio instead. Now I hope everybody is happy.
Plenty of overt sexists on the journal, i see
On that point Patrick why are all misogynistic men usually unattractive, bald and sexually frustrated?
sexist – Australian in the same sentence,im shocked and appalled,now tell that Sheila to put some more shrimps on the Barbie
Patrick’s a trolling misogynist, with the mental age of seventeen-year-old. Ignore him.
Correct.
Don’t feed the troll.
Oh dear where is all this going? Could ‘dear’ be termed sexist? It might not have been when I started the sentence but it might be now, or now, or now, or now.
Referring to a female colleague as ‘dear’ can be construed as sexist as well as patronising and overly familiar.
Mad, crazy idea – call the person by their name! Or just say “hello”, don’t add in the dears, birds, dahlings, loves, chicks, stags, foxes, badgers, leave the wildlife references at the door!
Patrick are you skeptical that sexism exists? i refer also to your comment below. If you are, you demonstrate either a worrying lack of ability to disseminate media output and general societal patterns, not to mention contact with articulate, self-aware women- or an equally worrying ignorance that these things exist.
Next time a female friend calls me “hon” I shall stand up to her for her blatant sexism!
I just can’t stand women who accuse us men of misogyny…
She looks a bit like and definitely sounds like an Aussie version of Clare Daly.
Ditch the witch!!
Sure she cant even put one foot in front of the other without falling over. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpUUt2QpacU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It looks as if she was trying to walk like a man. Those guys should have linked her to prevent her falling. It is well known that men are better walkers than women. We are built to hunt and protect. Women are built to feed and tend. Nature takes care of its own.
It’s an old tradition to make fun of MS Gillard’s English. They also say she mispronounces the word Negotiate…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49zF8m7ys24
shoot the messenger if you dont agree with the misoginist..oops mysogenist…or messagenist.
have your say