Can data centers be green?

Deutsche Welle · Apr 21, 2026 · 1102 words · By Martin Kuebler

Energy Infrastructure Strain Environmental Impact of AI US Political Influence on Energy Policy

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/cloud-computing-data-energy-fossil-fuels-renewable-energy-…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7

info Single Source 4

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified

“The United States has more data centers than anywhere else in the world”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence consists of general Wikipedia entries about the US and unrelated United Airlines search results. No data regarding the number of data centers globally was provided in the evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and minor islands. Bot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“the country's biggest power grid postponed or canceled the planned closure of 60% of its fossil fuel plants last year”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is explicitly quoted from a specific article ('Why the cloud still runs on coal and gas — eFinder'), but other provided sources (Wikipedia, Inside Climate News) discuss PJM's general operations or interconnection queues without confirming the specific '60% of fossil fuel plants' figure.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Guernsey Power Station is a privately owned gas-fired power plant located in Guernsey County, Ohio south of Byesville in the heart of the Utica and Marcellus shale region. It generates 1.875 GW of pow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernsey_Power_Station

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kearny Generating Station is a peaking power plant on the banks of the Riverbend of the Hackensack River in South Kearny, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PS…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kearny_Generating_Station

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM) is a regional transmission organization (RTO) in the United States. It is part of the Eastern Interconnection grid operating an electric transmission system serving all o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PJM_Interconnection

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“PJM Interconnection covers 13 eastern states, including Virgina”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm PJM serves 13 states. Inside Climate News explicitly mentions 'portions of 13 states', and Wikipedia/Chromographics confirm it serves Virginia.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Abigail Anne Spanberger ( SPAN-bur-gər; née Davis; born August 7, 1979) is an American politician and former intelligence officer serving since 2026 as the 75th governor of Virginia. A member of the D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Spanberger

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“Dominion Energy, which had pledged to shift to 100% renewable sources by 2045, has planned significant investment in gas and nuclear power until 2039”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific claim about the 2045 pledge vs 2039 investment is found in one source ('Why the cloud still runs on coal and gas - Briefly'). While another source mentions a gas plant proposal in Cumberland, it does not confirm the specific timeline or the 100% renewable pledge details.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of the 196 operational coal-fired power stations in the United States. Coal generated 15% of electricity in the United States in 2024, an amount less than that from renewable energy or …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coal-fired_power_stati…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ghana ( GAH-nə), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated with the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d'Ivoire to th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“NV Energy has said data centers could cause it to miss the state's clean energy targets of 50% renewable power generation by 2030”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for NV Energy consists of general company descriptions and Nevada state facts. There is no mention of data centers affecting clean energy targets or the 50% renewable power generation target by 2030.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project is a solar thermal power project with an installed capacity of 110 megawatt (MW) and 1.1 gigawatt-hours of energy storage located near Tonopah, about 190 miles …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dunes_Solar_Energy_Pr…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in the U.S. state of Nevada, sorted by type and name. In 2023, Nevada had a total summer capacity of 14,536 MW through all of its power plants, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Neva…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — NV Energy is a public utility which generates, transmits and distributes electric service in northern and southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas Valley, and provides natural gas service in the Reno …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NV_Energy

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“in North Carolina, home to nearly 100 data centers, NextEra Energy announced in December that it no longer saw "a realistic path to achieving actual zero-carbon emissions by 2045."”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results for this claim are entirely irrelevant, returning only event planners for 'CLEANPOWER 2026'. No information about NextEra Energy or North Carolina data centers was found.

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web search NEUTRAL — Find exhibitors and sessions at CLEANPOWER 2026. Create a free planner to save favorite exhibitors and sessions. Get personalized recommendations based on your interests.
https://cp26.mapyourshow.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — The floor plan provides a visual map of the entire event. Find exhibitors and make a plan for CLEANPOWER 2026.
https://cp26.mapyourshow.com/8_0/floorplan/index.cfm

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Find exhibitors and sessions at CLEANPOWER 2026. Create a free My Show Planner to save and remember your favorites, and get recommendations.
https://cp26.mapyourshow.com/8_0/explore/exhibitor-gallery.c…

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“AI data centers today can use as much electricity as 100,000 households, but the largest centers currently under construction will need 20 times as much”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results explicitly state that a typical AI data center uses electricity equivalent to 100,000 households and that the largest under construction will use 20 times that amount.

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web search NEUTRAL — Currently, a normal data center consumes the same amount of electricity as 100,000 houses. But the new gargantuan data centers under construction will consume 20 times as much — equivalent to adding 2…
https://dailynewsfromaolf.substack.com/p/new-ai-data-centers…

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web search NEUTRAL — A typical AI data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, and the largest facilities under construction have demands up to twenty times higher. For comparison: such a facility has h…
https://www.ai-jarvis.eu/floating-data-centers-powered-waves…

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web search NEUTRAL — A typical AI-focused data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, while the largest facilities under construction today will consume 20 times that amount, according to International…
https://ppc.land/how-indianapolis-residents-beat-googles-1-b…

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“In the US, natural gas provides more than 40% of the electricity for data centers, according to the International Energy Agency”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions for the word 'according'. No actual data from the IEA regarding natural gas usage in data centers was provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of ACCORD is to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned. How to use accord in a sentence. Did you know? Synonym Discussion of Accord.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/according

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web search NEUTRAL — Definition of 'according' according in American English (əˈkɔrdɪŋ ) adjective agreeing; in harmony
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/acco…

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web search NEUTRAL — Phrasal verb accord with something (Definition of according from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/accordin…

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“Coal-fired power plants provide 15%”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim.

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“Worldwide, the IEA projects that these two dirty fuel sources will power over 40% of the additional electricity required by data centers until at least 2030”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim.

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“US natural gas prices are at an 18-month low”

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“Trump... has signed executive orders to boost fossil fuels”

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“Renewable energy does provide electricity for nearly a quarter of the more than 4,200 data centers in the US”

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“The IEA has said "renewables and natural gas are set to account for over 65% of all electricity produced for data centres by 2030"”

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“A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 65% of Americans were against a facility near their home”

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“In New Jersey, where the average electricity bill rose by nearly 17% last year”

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“In Maine, legislators have backed a bill that would pause new data center construction until November 2027”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.