Datacenters driving US clean energy growth while still threatening climate | Datacenters | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/19/datacenters-us-clean-energy-growth-climateDatacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI’s rollout creates immense environmental challenges.
However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare.
Among companies at the leading edge is Nextpower, a utility-scale solar infrastructure producer, which just reported 20% year-over growth and recently purchased datacenter battery producer Prevalon.
Google, meanwhile, just developed the world’s largest grid-scale battery to power a datacenter in Minnesota, and purchased an energy company with which it is expanding renewable development, including at a new “off the grid” center in Texas that will include wind, solar, batteries, and gas.
“It looks to me like they’re setting up to be vertically integrated to supply their own electricity, and they’ll drive a lot of development,” Jester said.
There is some benefit to the larger grid. In Wisconsin, energy regulators don’t have a renewable energy standard guiding their decisions, but are building about 15 wind or solar facilities to accommodate Microsoft and Oracle datacenters, though those also include some natural gas, Jester said.
“Between the speed to power and the preference by datacenters companies for clean energy,” the renewables made more sense, Jester added. In Michigan, DTE Energy is building a 330 MW battery system instead of building a new gas plant to support a 1.4GW Oracle datacenter, which was the only way to meet Oracle’s timeline. The company will pay for the batteries.